A Little Older, A Little Wiser
by Denial
Summary: Serena has been fighting alone, refusing to allow the other Scouts to be reawaken after their fight with Beryl. Now she has finally given in and is bringing them back, that is, if she can find them.
1. A Forced Hand

A Little Older, A Little Wiser  
  
"Serena!"  
  
A young woman glances up guiltily from where she is cleaning blood off of her face and body in the shower at a small black cat standing in the doorway to the bathroom.  
  
"Luna, it's not as bad as it looks. Really. You know that head injuries just tend to bleed a lot. It really is just superficial."  
  
The cat looked at the woman and shook her head.  
  
"You can't keep doing this. You need help. You are the princess, if something happened to you..."  
  
Serena sighed softly and limped over to the cat and picked her up, hugging the small for to her chest.  
  
"Luna, no. We've gone over this. They deserve to live their lives, to be themselves and be happy without always having to worry about where the next attack is going to come from."  
  
"But you are the princess and..."  
  
"Yes. I am. And as princess, I will protect my people. Besides," she added with a sad smile, "The princess of a kingdom that has been gone for 10,000 years is expendable."  
  
And with that Serena set Luna back down on the floor outside the bathroom and closed the door.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"I don't care what she says Artemis, she won't survive many more battles if she doesn't get help. Did you see her after that last fight? I'm surprised she could walk at all! And I know she is hiding some of her worse injuries from us."  
  
Luna sat next to a white cat on top of the low wall that surrounded the apartment that Serena lived in.  
  
"I know Luna, I know. But she is not completely fighting alone. That Moonlight Knight person does show up occasionally. And for now she is determined to fight without the scouts and we can't go against the will of our princess."  
  
"Why not?" Luna spit out angrily at her companion.  
  
"Because, if we break trust with her she may leave us like she has left everyone else."  
  
After a small silence Luna turned to her oldest friend.  
  
"Should we stay with her to watch her die or save her life and be abandoned?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena came home and flopped down on her couch. Work had been hell. She had been on her feet all day and that was not helping her bruises and cuts heal. Not to mention that her head wound was making her nauseous. But she couldn't afford to lose this job. It paid too well and the hours were flexible enough put up with the strain of being Sailor Moon. She had lost her first job by having to leave early to go fight and it had taken her awhile to find a new job. In order to pay the rent during that time she had stopped eating. But she couldn't even go home anymore for food. She had learned pride and it wouldn't allow her to go begging back to the family that had tossed her out.  
  
* * * * * 3 years earlier  
  
Serena snuck quietly back into her house. She was exhausted after her fight with the monster and emotionally drained from her fight with her parents earlier in the day. Now all she wanted was to fall down on her bed and sleep.  
  
Just as she was crossing the living room the lights turned on and there was her mother and father. Her mother was crying softly as her father grabbed two suit cases that were at his feet and handed them to her.  
  
"If you can't live by our rules Serena, you can't live here."  
  
She stared at them, stunned.  
  
Finally, without saying anything, she turned and walked out.  
  
That night she slept on a bench in the park and the next day began looking for a job. He friend Molly had allowed her to use her address and phone number when applying for jobs and Serena lived in one of the abandoned warehouses she had discovered while fighting monsters until she earned enough to make the down payment on an apartment.  
  
She had never gone back to her parents home.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena was almost skipping home from work. It was Friday, payday and that raise that her boss had given her a few weeks ago had finally gone through and appeared on her paycheck. No monsters had attacked for weeks and the two painkillers she had popped in the morning had lasted all day.  
  
Her plans for the weekend included curling up on the couch with a few comic books and a warm mug of soup and maybe even a box of cookies. The recipe for the perfect weekend.  
  
As she turned the last corner before she got to her apartment she did something that she had not done for years, she literally ran into someone.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Darien had been back for a week and he was bored. All of his friends were in America now, where he had been going to school for over two years now. He had loved it there but had wanted to return to Japan for the summer. There was no reason for why he had wanted so desperately to come back. He had no friends left here, they had all gone their separate ways and he had lost track of all of them except Andrew who was off at Med School.  
  
So here he was, wandering the city he was born in like a complete stranger. Just as he was starting to work up a really good sulk, he was knocked back as, with the oddest feeling of deje vu, he ran into someone.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena could feel herself blushing as she began to apologize frantically.  
  
"Serena?"  
  
She looked up with her mouth wide open.  
  
"Darien?"  
  
Darien? Serena suddenly felt like it was very hard to breathe. God, he looked gorgeous. He was her only regret about refusing to allow Luna and Artemis to reawaken everyone but a part of her had been relieved as well. She had fought so hard for this man again and again only to lose him. It had almost been a blessing to refuse to fight for him. Oh, she told herself that it was for noble reasons. That she didn't want to force him to be with her because of something that happened long ago and far away between them, that he deserved to have a life free of constant danger and fear. But alone at night when she forced herself to be honest, it was because she didn't think she could survive having her hopes and dreams crushed again, couldn't survive feeling his arms around her only to have him pulled away again.  
  
"How is it that I have only been back in town a week and you've already managed to crash into me, Meatball head?"  
  
"Meatball head!" she screamed and with that she snapped out of her daze.  
  
"Glad to see you still can scream loud enough to wake the dead." Darien said with a laugh.  
  
And Serena couldn't help it; it was too automatic with him. She stuck out her tongue. As soon as she realized what she had done she started laughing.  
  
"God Darien, I haven't stuck my tongue out at anyone for so long. I don't think anyone else ever irritated me that much." She looked at him with a suddenly evil smile. "Why are you here anyway. Last I heard you went to America. Did they hate you so much they kicked you out of the country?"  
  
"No. Genius like mine is actually appreciated there. I'm just home for the summer. Hey, what are you doing tonight? You want to catch dinner with me. It'll give you more chances to yell at me." He replied with a huge grin on his face.  
  
Serena looked at him and after a quick, mournful thought in the direction of her comics and soup, accepted.  
  
* * * * *  
  
After that they went to Serena's apartment where she changed out of her work clothes and headed to a local cafe. The owner, an elderly woman named Kate, gave Serena a hug when she came in and seated the couple in a secluded booth in the back and gave Serena a huge wink before leaving. Kate was fond of the young woman and had forced her to accept "leftovers" from the kitchen when Serena had been struggling with money and rent.  
  
The couple spent the night talking about their lives and reminiscing about school. Serena found herself telling Darien things that she hadn't even told Luna about. Just having someone there to share things with lifted a load off of her that she hadn't even realized she was carrying. And Darien was a perfect listener, never judging, never interrupting and just nodding sympathetically at certain times.  
  
Darien, for his part, was amazed at Serena. She had changed so much, finally showing the strength that had only been hinted at before. But he also was sad that someone who had once been so innocent and carefree had had such a hard time of it. But she was still the young girl he had once known in her heart, she had proved that when she stuck her tongue out at him and called him a jerk.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Over the next few weeks Serena and Darien saw each other several times. Serena could hardly believe that Darien cared about her without knowing anything about their past on the moon. It just seemed so surreal most of the time that she didn't try to analyze it.  
  
Then, after almost two months of peace and quiet, another monster attacked.  
  
Serena saw it just as it attacked a young woman. Transforming into Sailor Moon, she called up her Lunar Armor. The Lunar Armor protected her from blasts of power better than her Sailor suit and had taken her a long time to make but it had been worth it, saving her life countless numbers of times.  
  
As she was busy fighting the monster, she felt a white rose go flying past her face.  
  
"Sailor Moon, behind you!"  
  
Two more monsters had appeared and had been about to jump her from behind. The Moonlight Knight drew his sword and charged into the fight. They were still outnumbered though and just then three more monsters appeared in the air above the fight.  
  
Moving as one, Sailor Moon and the Moonlight Knight fought back to back against their attackers. Several hits got through her guard and every time she finally managed to defeat one monster another would appear to take its place. It seemed that her enemies had finally decided to end this fighting once and for all.  
  
She felt the Moonlight Knight stagger back a step at one of the monsters managed to hit his leg, opening a huge gash. Sailor Moon was moving slower now too, her energy badly exhausted. She too was bleeding from several small cuts where her armor hadn't been able to protect her.  
  
"We can't keep doing this!" she yelled over her shoulder at the Moonlight Knight.  
  
"We need a better place to fight! More defensible!" he yelled back.  
  
"Agreed. On three!"  
  
"Three!"  
  
They both shot into the air, jumping free of the battle as the monsters, who hadn't expected such an abrupt retreat, looked around briefly in confusion, giving Sailor Moon and the Moonlight Knight the few extra seconds they needed to get a decent head start.  
  
"Where are we headed?" The Moonlight Knight asked as they raced across the roof tops, the pack of monsters following only a little ways behind.  
  
"There's a warehouse down at the docks! No windows and only one door! I hope it works!"  
  
* * * * *  
  
The two warriors managed to get to the warehouse and spent the next several hours defending it. They both knew that they couldn't hold out much longer.  
  
Sailor Moon was leaning against the Moonlight Knight during a brief pause in the siege. She was staring at the Silver Crystal, deep in thought.  
  
"My mother was able to destroy all of Queen Beryl's forces and give her court the chance to be reborn an earth with this."  
  
"Your mother died using that!" snapped the Moonlight Knight, realizing what she was thinking.  
  
"We're dying anyway. At least we can take them all out with us."  
  
"And who is going to defend the Earth with you dead?"  
  
"I guess Luna will finally get to reawaken the Scouts like she's always wanted."  
  
"No, there has to be another way."  
  
"Maybe...Luna says I'm horrible at asking for help when I need it. But I've never had to ask you before. But I'm asking now. There's a chance that if both of us combine our strength, we may be able, together, to destroy them and survive." She glanced out the door at the gathering monsters before adding quietly, "Or we may both die."  
  
"Sailor Moon, I am with you. Always."  
  
"Thank you, my friend. Thank you."  
  
* * * * *  
  
As the monsters restarted their attacks on the warehouse, Sailor Moon and the Moonlight Knight clasped hands and funneled their energy into the Silver crystal. As the monsters gained entrance into the warehouse a loft light encircled the pair of warriors in the middle of the room.  
  
The first monsters to attempt to attack the couple disintegrated into a pile of black ash. The others, more cautious, prowled the edges of the light, looking for a way to finally get at their prey. These were caught completely unawares by the sudden expansion of the light in all directions, destroying all that it touched. Other monsters that had been to far away began to retreat only to be hit by beams of light that came radiating out of the main ball.  
  
And the light continued to expand.  
  
Soon the light covered the entire city, cleansing it of all the evil that had hidden there. Only a few of the very strongest were able to escape back to their dark dimension, but even they were badly injured.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Inside the light, Sailor Moon and the Moonlight Knight talked.  
  
"That's enough, Sailor Moon. The city is safe. We need to stop now." The Moonlight Knight insisted.  
  
"But there is still so much to do. They're not all gone. Some escaped. And you still need healing." Sailor Moon said with a glance at his sluggishly bleeding leg.  
  
"No. No more. If we stop now, together we have enough in us to survive."  
  
With a sigh, Sailor Moon admitted defeat and they began to recall their light.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Several hours later, the Moonlight Knight woke up from where he was laying on the cold cement floor of the warehouse. As he stood up, he suddenly remembered not to put weight on his injured leg, only to realize it no longer hurt. Glancing down he saw that there was no wound.  
  
"Ah, my Lady, I thought I said no." he muttered down at the still unconscious Sailor Moon.  
  
He picked her up gently from the floor, careful not to reopen any of her wounds, and carried her away from the site of the battle.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Darien was worried. He had called that Serena that afternoon to see if she wanted to do something. When she hadn't answered the phone he had left a message promising to call back later. After a couple hours, he had called back and still no response. She usually called him back right away and it had been well past the time she normally got home from work. He had tried to tell himself that she was probably just out with some friends or something for a late night. But something made him keep trying to call her and each time he left a message, he grew more and more worried. Finally, just before dawn, he decided that he couldn't take it anymore and had driven over to her apartment.  
  
He knew he was being stupid. She was probably fine and he was about to show her that he was insane but he had to know she was okay. There was something in his gut that was telling him that she was in trouble and the very thought of her hurt made him ill. He was just beginning to realize how special she was to him and the thought that he might lose her...he didn't want to think about it.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Darien ran up the stairs to Serena's apartment and was planning on pounding on the door when he saw that it was open. Inside he saw a man dressed in bloody white clothes standing over Serena where she lay on her couch.  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" Darien growled out from behind the man.  
  
The man turned and Darien saw that there was a piece of clothe covering most of his face but for some reason the man's eye's looked oddly familiar.  
  
"Just making sure my Lady is safe. She needs your help now." The man said. A small note of bitterness crept into the voice as he continued, "I do hope that your American med school was worth it. Maybe you finally be of some use to her."  
  
And with that he was gone.  
  
Darien looked down at the figure on the couch and gave a strangled cry. Serena looked like she had been badly beaten. A few of her cuts had reopened and were bleeding again. And there was dirt and bruises covering her from head to toe.  
  
Darien ran to her bathroom and grabbed a washcloth and filled a bowl with water from the sink. He then returned and began cleaning her, trying to figure out just how hurt she really was. Serena's two cats, he saw sitting on the windowsill, watching him.  
  
And all the while he worked, he called her name out softly, trying to wake her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena heard something calling her name. But she didn't want to wake up. There was pain on the other side of consciousness and little else.  
  
But it seemed like she wasn't going to be allowed a choice. Someone was being insistent.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Darien finally had he cleaned up and had bandaged most of her wounds. There were a couple he knew needed stitches but he didn't know if she should go to the hospital or not. If she was in some kind of trouble...  
  
Just then he realized that she was looking at him through her eyelashes, still trying to pretend to be asleep. He had the sudden urge to strangle her.  
  
"Serena, I know you're awake" he said instead.  
  
"Am not." came the slightly muffled reply.  
  
The urge to strangle her got stronger.  
  
"Yes you are. And I need to talk to you."  
  
"Should've mumbled died. I'm sure when you're dead mumble mumble people let you sleep."  
  
"Darien, maybe you should just let her sleep" came a quiet female voice from behind him.  
  
Before he could turn around to look at the speaker, Serena sat straight up.  
  
"No Luna!" she managed to yell before her brain caught up with her body and she gasped in pain.  
  
Darien turned around, half afraid at what he was going to see and yet, somehow, not surprised. Sure enough, there was Serena's little black cat Luna looking at Serena with anger and concern warring on her little feline features.  
  
And behind her was the white cat Artemis sitting on the shoulder of the strange man in white.  
  
"Serena, you need more help than I can give you. We almost died tonight. We can't do what we did tonight again and be sure to survive it the second time." said the man.  
  
Serena, supported by Darien's arms, stared at the man in front of her and Darien was torn between holding her and attempting to kill this man.  
  
"How did you know who I was?" was all she asked.  
  
"How could I not?" said the man as he removed the clothe in front of his face and Darien found himself looking into his own face.  
  
"How?" Serena asked softly, glancing back and forth between the two Dariens.  
  
"Darien created me to protect you after the final battle with Beryl. A good thing too, since you refused to try and reawaken him. But you need the real Darien now. You need someone who can stand next to you always, whether you are fighting or not. And before you tell me no," he said as she opened her mouth to reply, "It's not up to you."  
  
The man with Darien's face turned to him, "Do you want to remember?"  
  
Darien looked down at Serena, looked at her beaten body and turned back to the man.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No!" Serena cried out as the stranger slammed into Darien.  
  
He came to a second later cradled in his love's arms, her tears falling down her face to fall on his shirt. A thousand images of their lives together flashed though his mind, images of them on the moon, fighting the Negaverse together, him fighting her with under the control of Beyrl, the Moonlight Knight's memories of them fighting side by side.  
  
"Shhh, Serena. It's okay, my love. It's okay." He said, raising his had to wipe away her tears.  
  
"You weren't supposed to remember. You were supposed to be free. I'm so sorry." she sobbed.  
  
"Serena, look at me. Believe me, when I say that I would rather risk my life a thousand times to be able to stand by your side than be forever safe and parted from you."  
  
He held her like that, rocking her back and forth, reassuring her that he loved her, that he had wanted this, till she fell asleep.  
  
He picked her up and laid her down on her bed, but she refused to let go of him till he was finally forced to lie down next to her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Three months later Serena and Darien were standing outside of a temple.  
  
"I don't think I can do this."  
  
"You promised, Sere."  
  
"But there haven't been any attacks since the warehouse battle. Shouldn't we at least wait and see if we need them?"  
  
"No. They deserve to know who they really are at the very least. And you heard that news report about the mysterious attacks around town lately. You know what they mean."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Serena."  
  
Serena sighed and began to walk up the temple steps. Before she entered, she turned and stuck her tongue out at the man still standing on the lower step. 


	2. Extra Fire Power pt 1

Some Extra Fire Power pt 1  
  
Serena stood, hesitating, outside the doors to the temple. She had finally given into Darien, Luna and Artemis' demands that she reawaken the scouts and had spent an entire week trying to decide whom to go to first before just throwing four sheets of paper into a hat and having Darien draw one out. He had drawn Rei. She had almost considered asking him to redraw.  
  
Rei. What was she like? Serena had lost track of the scouts over the past four years. She felt guilty now just walking back into their lives and asking for help but...she did miss them. Even Rei. Without them, she had been sadly lacking in friends. Oh, she had had friends from school, and later, from work but she had always had to hide parts of herself from them and the parts that she had hid had been some of the most important ones. The scouts though had been more than friends to her. They had been family. Without them her life had been colder, darker somehow. But the four years of a normal life that she had given them, that was worth any amount of coldness to her.  
  
She suddenly shook herself. Well, she wasn't doing anything productive out here. Ignoring the slight shaking in the hand that was on the doorknob, she entered the temple.  
  
It was just like it had been when she was a child. The smell of incense wafted through the air. Serena smiled as she remembered the scout meetings and slumber parties that had been held here. There had been the occasional study group even. Not that Serena had studied much.  
  
She chuckled as she remembered Rei's anger when she had caught Serena reading a comic book instead of studying. At least she was no longer in school and the scouts wouldn't be able to nag her about her grades anymore. Not that Rei wouldn't be able to find something else to get on Serena's case about. The girl couldn't have changed that much.  
  
Then, in a small side room, she saw it. The sacred fire. The fire of Mars. Serena hadn't even realized that she had been searching for it until she saw it there. She walked towards it and felt it's welcoming warmth.  
  
"Ah, sacred fire. I wonder if you can tell me if I am doing the right thing?" Serena said.  
  
She hadn't been expecting an answer. The fire of Mars had never before answered to the Moon so when a shower of sparks shot in all directions from the fire she was caught completely off guard. She stumbled forward, her hands outstretched to catch herself as she fell forward into the fire, unconsciously screwing her eyes shut against the pain to come.  
  
There was no pain. That was her first thought before she forced her eyes open and stared down incredulously at her hands firmly embedded into the coals of the fire. She could feel pleasant warmth but no pain.  
  
*Why have you come? *  
  
She jerked at the sound of the voice, only to find that her hands were held firmly by the fire. With a visible effort she closed her eyes and replied formally.  
  
*Sacred Fire of Mars, I have need of your Priestess. *  
  
*Then seek the Priestess. *  
  
Serena blinked at the blunt statement.  
  
*Can you tell me if I do the right thing? *  
  
The voice of the fire changed at her question, losing some of its aloofness and sounding more like an irritated elder.  
  
*Of course it's the right thing. The only thing better would have been seeking earlier. Now go. *  
  
And with that she was pushed back from the fire.  
  
"Well, I think I've annoyed just about everything in the universe now." Serena said quietly, staring at the fire in awe.  
  
"Some people are easier to annoy than others."  
  
Serena whipped around and found herself face to face with Rei.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Rei had felt an odd presence enter the temple a few minutes ago. It hadn't been evil but something about it hadn't been quite right. She had begun searching for it, checking out the people that were visiting the temple.  
  
Rei had been the sole caretaker of the temple since her grandfather had died a year ago and was still occasionally at a loss with what to do with herself. She just had this feeling that there was more out there for her but then again, she had heard that lots of people had that feeling. She was just bored mostly. Her life lately had been too quiet without her grandfather's presence and never-ending schemes for the temple. Even Chad had left. They had dated for a while but then he had been offered a regular contract with one of the music labels. She had made him take it. Both had known that this was his big break but he had been hesitating accepting it because of her. Well, a broom to the head had cured him of that lapse of judgment. Now, as his career took off she smiled fondly at all the little girls who talked about him with stars in their eyes while at the temple.  
  
She had almost ignored the young woman with blonde hair standing in front of the fire.  
  
"Sacred Fire of Mars, I have need of your Priestess." She heard the girl say quietly. Suddenly the girl pitched forward as if pushed, arms outstretched to catch herself, she fell into the fire. She stood for one breathless second bathed in flame before, just as suddenly, the girl was pushed back, unharmed.  
  
"Well, I think I've annoyed just about everything in the universe now." the woman muttered darkly.  
  
"Some people are easier to annoy than others." Rei replied, feeling her own anger rising at this woman's presence in her temple. The woman whirled around, he blonde hair almost hitting Rei as she spun, and stared at her with wide blue eyes.  
  
This was the odd power and while it didn't seem evil, she could also sense that it was not, quite, normal.  
  
"Rei."  
  
Rei started. This strange woman knew her name? How? And yet she did seem vaguely familiar.  
  
"Do I know you?"  
  
The girl smiled sheepishly at that, "Well, yes and no."  
  
Suddenly Rei realized why the universe was irritated with this girl.  
  
"Rei, a long time ago, you and I used to be friends but then something happened. Something bad. And we were separated only to meet again. Unfortunately, the same bad thing happened again and again we were separated. I was...well...I was wondering if you wanted to give it one more try? Third times a charm and all that." The woman said, the last part coming out so fast that Rei had to struggle to understand her.  
  
"What are you talking about? What bad thing? When did we ever know each other?" Rei asked, feeling horribly confused.  
  
From the packet of her jeans the woman pulled out a beautiful red pen.  
  
"This pen holds all the memories of your past. If you want to remember, you simply have to open it. But," the woman added quickly as she handed Rei the pen, "Once you remember, I can't make you forget again and those memories contain as much pain as anything else. You have already died twice Pyro. This may be your only chance to live a normal life."  
  
Rei held the pen in her hand, the woman turned to leave.  
  
"Wait! What is your name?"  
  
The girl smiled sadly at her.  
  
"Sailor Moon."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena emerged from the temple and Darien was waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. Without a word he wrapped her in his arms and they walked away from the temple.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena was stretched out on her couch petting Luna after work and perversely wishing that it were another black head that she held in her arms. But school had restarted. Darien had transferred to a school in Tokyo but school still took so much of his time that she felt like she never saw him. But she was too aware of how lucky she was that he was there at all to let herself complain about it. The summer had been like a dream come true, just the two of them with nothing to get in the way. She knew that whatever the future held, whatever pain and loss, she would always be able to remember that summer.  
  
Luna, noticing that Serena's mind was wandering swiped a paw at her hand.  
  
"What is it Luna?"  
  
"Do you think she'll open the pen?"  
  
"I don't know Luna. I don't want to hope. But I had to give her a choice of some kind. I mean, Darien got to see a little of what he was getting into before he got his memories back. Rei, and the other scouts, should get the same chance, shouldn't they?"  
  
Luna sighed, "Serena, I know you want them to be safe but they were born to be the protectors of their worlds. Let them be what they were meant to be."  
  
"I know, I know. But I still think that, as a retirement plan, we should get something better than death."  
  
Luna flexed her claws slightly into Serena's leg, "Next thing you know, you'll be asking to be Queen of the universe."  
  
"Well, technically I am Queen. Of the Moon at least. There's just been a small delay in the coronation ceremony. But I still have to do my own dishes."  
  
"If I remember right, Darien is the one who did the dishes last time."  
  
"Quiet you." Serena said, tickling the cat, "And don't you dare remind him if he offers to do them again."  
  
* * * * *  
  
In a dark room, three shrouded figures huddled together.  
  
"Sailor Moon continues to grow in strength while we hide down here, cowering like rats! This can not be allowed to continue."  
  
"Shhh, patience my friend. Patience." the second figure replied.  
  
"Patience? What is there to be patient for?" Screamed the first in frustration.  
  
"For the Dark Crystal." The third said quietly.  
  
"But...that's just a legend. Isn't it?" the first said, unsure.  
  
"No, we have found a way to summon it from where it was once hidden. But we need more time and energy reserves than we have right now."  
  
"The last fight with Sailor Moon hurt us too much to attack her directly again for awhile but I have a few of our people out looking to see if they can find out where she lives."  
  
"We've tried to find out who she is before. Why do you think this time will be any different?"  
  
"Because, I sense she us allowing some of her defenses down and more people to know her secret."  
  
* * * * *  
  
~ Okay, this was originally going to be just the first chapter but a few people mentioned that they would like me to continue. So, what do you think? Should this be continued? Thanks for the reviews. They were what convinced me to try another chapter. ~ 


	3. Extra Fire Power pt 2

Some Extra Fire Power pt 2  
  
Rei sat staring at the small red pen in her hands.  
  
Sailor Moon? Was it possibly? Sailor Moon was just a myth, an urban legend. And yet...  
  
And who was this woman who claimed to be Sailor Moon? Where did she come from? How did she know Rei?  
  
Rei continued to stare at the pen in her hands.  
  
How did this one little pen hold the answers to all her questions?  
  
And did she want them answered?  
  
Every time Rei made up her mind to open the pen she remember the woman's face when she had told her that she had died twice. Part of her wanted to laugh at the absurdity of that sentence but the woman's face when she had said it had been so serious and so very, very sad.  
  
But on the other hand, something inside Rei craved the answers to her questions. She could not just put the pen aside and forget about it. So she sat in the temple, staring at a tiny red pen, while questions swirled around endlessly inside her head.  
  
The sound of the phone ringing finally jerked her out of her thoughts and she made a mad dash towards the phone, grateful for the interruption.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey Rei! What's up?"  
  
"Chad!"  
  
"Hee hee. I'm glad to see you remember me."  
  
"Remember you? Ha, how could I forget? I heard at least three girls today talking about how they were going to marry you."  
  
"Don't tell me you're jealous?"  
  
"Jealous? Me? Have you gone insane since the last time I talked to you?"  
  
"Whatever Rei. You love me, you know it."  
  
"You're delusional."  
  
"You should be nicer to me, otherwise I won't give you a ticket to my concert there in a week."  
  
"Backstage pass?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Okay, maybe I love you a little."  
  
"I knew it! Okay, I've got to run. I'll send the ticket to the temple tomorrow."  
  
"Alright. Can't wait."  
  
"Bye"  
  
Rei hung up the phone and tried to stop smiling. He could always do that, make her smile, cheer her up, even if they only got to talk for a few minutes. She was actually glad they weren't dating anymore. Chad had become more like a brother to her, becoming the family she didn't have. He always sent her tickets to his concerts when he was in town just so that they could talk after the show. It was the only time that his schedule wasn't going to randomly change at the last second so they actually got to see each other.  
  
The small red pen lay momentarily forgotten on the table.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The rest of the week flew by. Rei even went out shopping for something new to wear to the concert. She was determined to have fun that night.  
  
Rei stood in front of mirror, spinning back and forth, trying to see herself from every angle. The mirror showed a tall, thin woman with ebony hair in a short red dress and wearing a red choker around her neck. Add a dash of kiss-ass red lipstick, matching nail polish and she was ready to go.  
  
Rei smiled slyly at her reflection.  
  
"Not bad for an old, dried up temple priestess."  
  
Glancing at the clock on the wall she grabbed her purse and headed towards the door to wait for her cab.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Rei!"  
  
"Chad!"  
  
Chad ran up to her after getting off stage and gave her a huge hug.  
  
"Ugh! Chad, go take a shower! You're are all sweaty." She cried, wrinkling her nose.  
  
"Hee hee. Sure princess. Anything to be allowed into your presence." Chad joked, glancing down at his sweat soaked shirt.  
  
She hit him on the arm and pushed him towards the shower in his dressing room. Ten minutes later, Chad stepped out of the bathroom, his long hair still damp, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.  
  
"All better?" He asked solemnly.  
  
"Much." Rei said from where she was sitting on the couch in his dressing room.  
  
Chad came and flopped down beside her. They talked for a while about the concert and Chad's life while he was on tour for a while. Rei loved to hear Chad's stories of life as a celebrity. He had a way of making the whole thing sound both glamorous and hilariously stupid at the same time. And he always had a story to tell. After awhile, he turned towards her with a solemn expression on his face.  
  
"So, what's new with you?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing much. I'm keeping busy with the temple mostly."  
  
"Uh huh. And probably not much else if I know you." Chad replied.  
  
"Hey, I get out." Rei said defensively.  
  
"Sure you do. And when exactly was the last time you "got out"?"  
  
"I'm out tonight, aren't I?"  
  
"Other than tonight."  
  
"I've been busy." Rei said, feeling desperate.  
  
"Rei, you know you are one of my best friends. Ever since your grandfather died, I've been worried about you."  
  
"There's nothing to worry about Chad. I'm fine."  
  
"No, you're not. You don't leave the temple unless someone drags you, you don't talk to any of your friends unless they come to you. All you do is work. You have to have a life outside of the temple."  
  
Rei glared at him. She knew she didn't have many friends these days but Chad didn't have to rub her nose in it. It wasn't like it was easy for her like it was for him. People practically threw themselves at Chad's feet these days, begging to be his friend. Her, all they saw was a temple priestess, never trying to see past the cold, impersonal exterior.  
  
And she was doing fine without them. She didn't need friends, she didn't need a boyfriend and she didn't need a family. She had proved that over this past year. She could be independent, rely on herself alone.  
  
What did Chad know anyways?  
  
"Drop it, Chad. I'm fine. I don't want to get into an argument with you on one of the few times I get to see you, so just leave it. Okay?"  
  
Chad looked at her and for one terrifying moment she thought he wouldn't let it go, but then he leaned over and hugged her.  
  
"Alright. I you say so." And then launched into a huge, complicated story about him, a contract, and blue m&m's.  
  
After another hour or so, Rei finally had to leave. Chad was leaving early the next morning and it was already quite late.  
  
The entire trip back to the temple in the cab, she couldn't get Chad's words out of her mind. She finally forced herself to admit that she was lonely. She would never admit it out loud, but she wanted all those things that she had said she could live without, the friends, the family.  
  
As she went into her room at the temple she saw the small red pen lying on a table where she had left it. Suddenly she remembered the strange woman's words.  
  
~"Rei, a long time ago, you and I used to be friends...I was wondering if you wanted to give it one more try?"~  
  
"Yes." Rei finally answered.  
  
Without hesitation, she walked up to the pen and opened it.  
  
Suddenly, she was bathed in flames. In the flames were flashes of her past, on the Moon, on Mars and on Earth, fighting with Sailor Moon and the Scouts. She remembered who she was, who her friends were. She remembered the pain of death, the excitement and fear of battle. She remembered stupid little things like fighting with Serena over anything, flirting with Darien and then stepping aside for Serena.  
  
She remembered.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena was lounging on her couch, idly flipping through the channels on TV. Nothing was good was on, and she was starting to consider grabbing a book to read instead.  
  
"Serena!" Luna cried, running into the room and skidding to a stop by the couch.  
  
"What's the matter Luna?" Serena asked, jumping to her feet.  
  
"There's a monster in the park attacking people. You have to get there right away."  
  
Without another word Serena transformed into Sailor Moon and teleported herself to the park. They hadn't been able to get to any of the monster attacks in time for a while now. This was the first time in weeks that they had even heard of an attack as it was happening. The monsters were attacking too quickly, leaving the scene before anyone even knew what happened. As she dashed through the park she wondered how they had lucked out this time.  
  
She could hear the roars of a monster but it took her several minutes to actually find it among the trees, which concealed huge parts of the park.  
  
As she ran into the clearing, she saw the monster fighting...  
  
"Mars!"  
  
Mars turned and glanced back at where Sailor Moon was standing, dumbstruck.  
  
"About time Meatball Head. Are you going to help or not?" She yelled before sending a stream of fire towards the monster, which howled in pain.  
  
Serena joined the fight. Mars had already seriously hurt it several times. Between the two of them, they were able to finish it quickly enough.  
  
After the monster was gone, Sailor Moon stared for a moment at Mars.  
  
"You opened my gift."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Are you...Did you...I mean, are you happy with it?"  
  
Mars walked over to Serena and hit her on the head.  
  
"What took you so long, Meatball Head?"  
  
Serena stared at her in shock for a moment before tackling her and giving Mars a hug.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Three figures stood in a darkened room, glaring at one another from under heavy cowls.  
  
"Sailor Mars has been reawaken!"  
  
"I told you that Sailor Moon was letting more people know her secret."  
  
"But still don't know her secret, and now their strength increases as we sit down here and do nothing.  
  
"Our strength does increase. This was the first monster of ours they have been able to stop in a while and our energy reserves are growing. We only have to wait."  
  
"I will wait. But not much longer." the figure said, spinning around and stomping out of the room.  
  
"He is uncontrollable."  
  
"We still need him. We can't do this alone."  
  
"I know. How are your spies doing?"  
  
"They have begun to narrow down where Sailor Moon lives, but her uses of energy are still hard to pin point."  
  
"I have every faith in you, my love. We'll find her."  
  
~Okay, I finished with Rei. NOW, do you think I should continue? hee hee. Also trying to think of who I want to bring in next. Inners, Outer, Generals? I've already proven once that I'm a sucker for suggestion. Anyway, Thanks to all you really awesome people who reviewed. Oh yeah, if you see weird grammar or bad spelling, let me know. I try to catch them myself but my brain and my typing skills are not always in good working order. ~ 


	4. The Search for Love Begins

**Quick note: I'm trying to figure out a timeline for the story so if things seem weird...um...just blame it on an author on crack.**  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"  
  
"The legendary fighter Sailor Moon, defeated by a table leg." Rei muttered under her breath while watching Serena hop around the room, clutching her foot.  
  
"Shut up, Rei. I think I broke my toe on that stupid table of yours." Serena said, finally settling down to gingerly feel her toe.  
  
Darien walked into the room just then and held up a mini-med kit.  
  
"Some one yelp for a doctor?" He asked with a grin, settling down in front of Serena and examining her foot.  
  
"Rei's table tripped me." Serena said, smiling against her will at the black head bowed over her foot, tenderly probing her toes.  
  
"You're amazing Meatball Head. We've been working out and sparring for the past two hours and you don't get a single bruise but the second a table is put in your path, you trip and break something." Rei said, shacking her head.  
  
"I'll just tape up your toes and take you home, okay?" Darien asked before Serena could reply to Rei.  
  
"Wait. We still need to talk." Serena said, looking at Rei.  
  
"Fine, you two talk while I tape." Darien said, never looking up.  
  
"What's up, Serena?" Rei asked.  
  
"I almost forgot. Artemis thinks he might have a lead on where Venus is."  
  
"Really? That's great."  
  
"One problem though. We think that she is in England."  
  
"England? Are you sure?"  
  
"No. Not really. But Artemis wants to go and check it out."  
  
"By himself?" Rei asked in surprise.  
  
"Well, that was his plan but Luna's going with him too." Serena said, mischief dancing in her eyes.  
  
"Ah. Who's idea was that?" Rei asked, raising her eyebrows.  
  
"Luna's."  
  
The two women grinned evilly at each other for a moment.  
  
"Anything new on the other scouts?" Rei asked.  
  
"Not really. Mercury is at school somewhere, though we still don't know where and I haven't found anything out about where Jupiter is." Serena said, a note of frustration sneaking into her voice.  
  
"We'll find them. Don't worry, Sere." Rei said.  
  
"I should have kept track of you guys better. Now, we're paying the price for my stupidity." Serena said quietly, staring down at her foot as Darien wound tape around it.  
  
"Serena, this is not your fault." Rei said, looking at her friend with worry in her eyes.  
  
"Right, Rei. Anyways, we've got to get going." Serena said, standing with Darien's help. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"  
  
"Bye Serena." Rei said, watching the pair leave, the worry still apparent in her eyes.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So, are you going to talk about it or are you just going to pretend like everything is fine?" Darien asked after they got to Serena's apartment.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Serena asked from where she sat curled up on the couch.  
  
"You've been beating yourself up ever since we started looking for the other scouts over how you have failed them."  
  
"Well, haven't I?" She shot back.  
  
"No. People move around. Just because they aren't as easy to track down as Rei was doesn't mean that you somehow failed."  
  
"I'm their princess. I should have at least kept track of where they were and how they were doing. Instead, I let them just disappear."  
  
"They didn't disappear. They lived the lives you let them live. And if I recall, you were rather busy at the time just trying to stay alive yourself." Darien shot back.  
  
"Doesn't matter. I abandoned them. What if something happened to them? What it they were hurt? Or killed? And I never knew about it?" Serena yelled, tears standing out in her eyes.  
  
"Serena," Darien sighed, his anger and frustration flowing out of him with the sigh, and walked over to the couch and gathered Serena into his arms, "That is the danger that we all face in living out our lives. Pain, as much as joy, is a part of life. We will find them and we will deal with problems when, and if, they exist. But not before."  
  
Serena slowly relaxed into Darien's arms and allowed a few bitter tears to fall.  
  
"I'll try. But it's hard not to worry." She said, looking up into his face.  
  
"It's always hard. But very few things that are worth doing are easy."  
  
The two of them sat that way for a while longer, holding each other.  
  
Eventually Serena chuckled weakly and Darien craned his neck around to look at her questioningly.  
  
"I'd forgotten how much of a pain in the butt you and Rei could be."  
  
"Us?"  
  
"Yes, you. Neither of you let me get away with anything. At least before I had the other scouts to side with me and tell you to back off."  
  
"Are you saying we're bullies?" Darien asked, his voice deceptively bland.  
  
"Mmmhmm. Big ones."  
  
That was all Serena got out before Darien flipped her on to her back and pinned her to the couch with one hand while tickling her with the other. Serena giggled hysterically, begging for mercy while trying vainly to wiggle away.  
  
"No fair tickling when I'm injured!" Serena yelped, trying to fight back and failing.  
  
"I'll let you up if you promise to be nice." Darien grinned at her once he had her well and truly pinned to the couch underneath him.  
  
Serena stuck out her tongue and vainly tried to wiggle free once more, which only resulted in Darien tickling her more.  
  
"Promise to be nice.  
  
"I...promise...I promise." Serena finally managed to gasped out.  
  
"Promise what?"  
  
"Not to kill you once I get free." Serena snapped in mock anger.  
  
"Hmmm...I don't know...." Darien said, holding her there.  
  
"Darien!" Serena began to whine.  
  
"Ahem." The couple on the couch glanced over to where Luna had just come into the room.  
  
Darien leaned his body over Serena and gave her a playful kiss before letting her up. She had a slight blush on her face as she turned to face her cat.  
  
"Artemis and I are leaving now. We should be back in a couple of days. Please try and stay out of trouble." Luna said walking over to Serena.  
  
"Bye Luna." Serena said, picking up the small black cat to give her a final hug, taking the opportunity to whisper several suggestions for the trip to Luna.  
  
If cats could blush, Luna would have been when Serena set her down. As it was, she refused to look at either Artemis or Darien as the two cats were teleported.  
  
"What was that about?" Darien asked after they had seen the two cats off.  
  
"What was what about?" Serena asked innocently.  
  
"Never mind. I probably don't want to know anyways."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Luna and Artemis arrived in a secluded London alley. After taking a moment to survey their surroundings, the two sat down to talk for a moment.  
  
"So, where do you think we should start?" Artemis asked.  
  
"Do you still remember where Venus lived when the two you lived in London before?"  
  
"Of course. We actually are pretty close to the apartment. But I don't think she'll still be there."  
  
"I didn't think so but there's a chance that there might have been a forwarding address or something for us to go off of."  
  
"Alright Luna. Let's head out before it gets too late." Artemis said, brushing past her as he took the lead. Black and white fur momentarily sliding silkily against each other.  
  
Luna stood still for a moment till Artemis, noticing she wasn't following, turned back with a puzzled look.  
  
"Damn you Serena." Luna muttered before running to catch up with her companion.  
  
* * * * *  
  
I wanted to add a big thanks to Nathronoelei. She totally made my day and if she reads this, I wanted her to know. 


	5. A Tale of Two Kitties

Chapter 5  
  
Luna raced after Artemis through the twisted London streets.  
  
The building that Artemis finally stopped in front of was typical for London, aged brick and faded paint giving an impression of both great age and dignity. The two cats slipped quietly around to the back where a rickety metal fire escape clung to the side of the building.  
  
"The third floor there was where she used to live." Artemis said pointing out the right window to Luna with his nose.  
  
Luna gave a quick nod and the two ran up the fire escape to the window.  
  
"Locked. Now what?" Artemis asked after a few futile efforts to get the window open. Unfortunately, paws and claws some times weren't the most useful of things.  
  
"Well, we could see if the landlord's office is open." Luna said.  
  
"Sure. I hope we can find something here. I know it was a long shot but I still would hate going home with nothing." Artemis said with a small sigh as he jumped down from the offending window.  
  
Downstairs the pair actually got a break. The landlord had left his door unlocked when he left to go home and the two cats were able to open it and slip in unnoticed with minimal amounts of effort. The office was neatly organized, a toolbox sitting unobtrusively in one corner and a large metal desk dominating the center of the room. A couple of similar metal file cabinets flanked the desk on either side.  
  
Luna started with the desk, looking for any clues as to Venus' whereabouts, while Artemis, once again forced to tackle the difficult task of opening something without the aid of opposable thumbs, took on the file cabinets. Luna had been digging through the papers on the desk for a few minutes when a sudden crash caused her to spin around in fright, heart racing.  
  
There, sitting and staring stupidly at the file drawer that had landed next to him, was Artemis. He had been trying to get open the top drawer of the cabinet and had misjudged the force needed to push it open, accidentally sending both himself and the drawer crashing to the ground.  
  
"Artemis! Are you okay?" Luna asked anxiously.  
  
"Umm..yea. I guess so." Artemis finally said, frowning at the mess around him.  
  
"Good." Luna managed to choke out before keeling over in a fit or laughter.  
  
He looked up at her pathetically, a single tardy piece of paperwork finally floating leisurely down to land on the top of his head, causing Luna to laugh even harder. Artemis merely gave a long-suffering sigh and shook the paper off.  
  
"Have you found anything yet?" He asked, trying to regain some measure of dignity.  
  
Luna, after a few attempts to stop laughing, finally gave up and just shook her head. The white cat finally decided that ignoring his hysterical partner was probably the best course of action and started pushing through the pile of papers on the floor. When the landlord returned the next day they wanted to be as far away from this mess as possible.  
  
Luna had finally managed to stop laughing and from her vantage on the top of the desk, she glanced down at the pile of paper Artemis was rooting through.  
  
"Artemis!" she suddenly yelled excitedly and jumped down from her perch. Landing next to the white cat, she pushed him out of the way so she could pull out a half covered paper that he had been standing on.  
  
The paper turned out to be a magazine page with several models showing off some clothing companies fall line. What had caught the black cat's attention were the words scribbled across it.  
  
'To my fav landlord, Mina'  
  
And sure enough, one of the girls on the page was Mina, dressed in a red shirt, golden skirt and a long gray coat. This was the first solid evidence that they had gotten that proved Mina had been in England. The magazine photo was only a little less than a year old though according to the date printed on the top of the page.  
  
They had come to London because that was the last place anyone had know Mina had lived before she had joined the scouts. They had searched Tokyo specifically, and Japan in general for all of the girls with no luck. That was why the Artemis had volunteered to try London. And now they knew that they were on the right track.  
  
Luna looked up from the paper at Artemis and found herself suddenly nose to nose with the white cat.  
  
"Luna, what would I do without you?" he said and gave her a quick lick on the cheek before going back to rummaging though the stack of papers, "Wonder if there is anything else in here?"  
  
Luna blushed. Again. And cursed Serena and Rei. Again. Those two hadn't been reunited for more than a day before they had begun causing headaches for Luna. Alternately yelling at each other and conspiring together, the two had gotten it into their heads that Luna and Artemis should be more than friends and had been taking every opportunity they could get to tell her so. And the fact that Artemis had been left completely exempt from the teasing only made it worse. Even casual things that had never mattered before were setting her off. And Artemis was completely clueless though she could tell he was starting to pick up on the new tension in her. They had been friends too long for him not to notice but he had yet to say anything about it.  
  
Honestly, there were days that Luna couldn't remember why she had wanted the other scouts awakened. And it would only get worse with each one brought back.  
  
After a few minutes more of searching they found the file for when Mina was a tenant. There was a forwarding address for mail but she had moved out over two years ago. Neither wanted to get their hopes up. They didn't have much to go off of from the autographed picture, but it was a clue as to what Mina was doing these days.  
  
* * * * *  
  
That night the two cats were bedding down on the roof of an older building in a quiet part of town.  
  
"Luna?" Artemis asked, turning to look at his companion, her black fur causing her to almost disappear into the night.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Do you think...Well, you are Serena's guardian and..."  
  
"Artemis?" Luna asked, moving closer to her oldest friend, "What's the matter?"  
  
"Do you think I failed her?"  
  
"Serena?" Luna asked in surprise, "Absolutely not!"  
  
"No, not Serena. Mina. I was her guardian. Her mentor. And I just let her disappear on me."  
  
"Oh Artemis, don't you start too. None of this anyone fault. No one is to blame." Luna said, leaning against him, offering comfort as they had done a million times before.  
  
"Luna, she was my charge and I abandoned her instead of doing my duty. She is the leader of Serena's guards, leader of the scouts. She was...is the princess of Venus. How do I explain to her...how to I ask her to understand...?"  
  
"Artemis, shh. We all had our duty. Our main duty was to protect the princess and that is what we did. Venus would have been the first to tell you to stay with Serena."  
  
"What if I didn't stay because of Serena?" he asked quietly.  
  
"What? What else was there to stay for?" Luna asked, bewildered.  
  
Artemis sighed. "Nothing Luna. Nothing."  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next morning saw a pair of cats, one black and one white, racing across the London rooftops.  
  
"How much farther?" Luna asked as they ran. She really didn't care but she wanted to break the awkward silence that had appeared between them since the previous night. She was worried about Artemis. Something was going on inside of him and he wasn't sharing it with her. He had admitted that he was feeling guilty about Mina but that wasn't all of it. He was still holding something back. And it hurt that he didn't feel he could confide in her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Artemis?"  
  
The white cat suddenly shook himself away from his thoughts and realized that Luna was asking him something.  
  
"Sorry Luna, what was that?" He asked, trying to appear normal.  
  
"How much farther?"  
  
"Oh, not much. Though this is a really nice part of town. I wonder if this is the right address. Most people couldn't afford to live around here."  
  
He checked his bearings before allowing his thoughts to once again consume him. He knew that he had almost done the unthinkable last night. And he had added to Luna's worries. She already was stressed over Serena and finding the scouts and fighting this new enemy that seemed to keep popping in and out of the shadows and know he had gone an added to it my admitting to the fact that he was feeling guilty about not being with Venus. Instead he had decided to stay with the Princess...and Luna.  
  
He knew that they were just friends but sometimes he would find himself wondering if they could have been more. Before, when they had been fighting the Negaverse, there had been another cat. Watching Hercules and Luna had actually made him ill and had been what had first made him realize that Luna was more than just a friend. She was his partner. And he loved her. It had taken him a long time to realize that and an even longer time to admit it to himself.  
  
God! How could he have done this? It hadn't been as bad before Darien arrived. But now Serena and Darien, so obviously in love with each other, were alternately making him want to claw them and trade places with them. And last night he had almost admitted to it. And if one thing was guaranteed to ruin a wonderful friendship it was some idiot babbling about love.  
  
He shook himself out of his thoughts in time to realize that they had arrived. The house that they stopped in front of was a huge thing proudly showing off its Victorian architecture to all its neighbors.  
  
"Mina lived here?" Luna asked in surprise, coming up alongside of him.  
  
"And might still. That is, if the address is where she moved to and not just some friend of hers that she was staying with or something." Artemis said, looking at the house.  
  
He approached the window cautiously and jumped on the sill. Inside was a mess. It looked as though a tornado had gone through this classy home, leaving clothes, books and who knows what else in it's path. Or more likely, her path. Artemis definitely recognized the mess. And while he forced himself to realize that many people were possible of leaving behind them such a disaster area, Mina was still the original tornado.  
  
But they still had to make it inside to make sure.  
  
"Artemis?" Luan asked from the ground.  
  
He grinned down at her, "I think we may be on the right track.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Meanwhile, a man with fiery red hair paced back and forth in an enormous cavern. Once there would have been hundreds of others milling around as well but they had been destroyed. Only the strongest had survived that final attack, and many of the survivors had died afterwards from their wounds.  
  
Suddenly a monster, a half tiger, half woman creature appeared in front of him.  
  
"Back already?" The man asked in surprise.  
  
"The scouts do not protect lands outside of their territory. There are no threats in the new hunting grounds, as you predicted." The woman said, her slitted eyes following the man's pacing.  
  
"Good. And our energy reservoirs?"  
  
"It is almost full."  
  
"Perfect. Those two think that they are so smart, but I am the only one able to collect the energy we need. And with it, I'll be able to dictate how it gets used. No more waiting." The man said, a triumphant smile crossing his lips.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Quick note: I saw once an author reply to her reviewers and since I've recently decided I love you all, I thought I'd try it too. Here we go...  
  
venus smurf ~ You are too cool. My ego and I thank you. I just wish I could update more regularly like you do. And if I bring in the generals, they'rr be on the good side...I think..maybe...probably...  
  
MarsMoonStar ~ hee hee, thank you  
  
AngelsExist ~ I agree. Poor Luna. The kitties need help.  
  
Vilranda ~ Thanks. I promise to write more. Just as soon as ppl stop giving me homework...grr.  
  
Adyen ~ you're holding out on me?!? awww. hee hee  
  
Skysong ~ yea, if I put the outer scouts in, they'll just sorta appear. And I am working on a way to bring Uranus and Neptune in. I just hope it works.  
  
SlvrDrgn ~ lol. Hope you enjoy the further torture of Luna and Artemis.  
  
S. L. Butterworth ~ hope you like this, even though there's no actual scouts in it yet. Ah well...  
  
hmmm... Well, guess that's it for me. I'm going to go start the next chapter. ; ) 


	6. The Search for Love Continues

The two cats circled the house a few times looking for a way into the house but eventually were forced to just sit and wait. It was still rather early in the morning so they decided to just watch the house and see what happened.  
  
After an hour or so a woman with a bunch of cleaning supplies arrived and entered the house. After that, the house seemed to come alive and muffled voices could be heard. Suddenly the door was thrown open and a young blonde woman in a business suit came running down the front steps of the house, juggling a pile of papers and talking into a cell phone.  
  
"No...I'm on my way...uh huh...What do you mean they don't have it is stock!...They had it yesterday...okay, okay, I'll deal with it when I get in..."  
  
Artemis turned to Luna with a huge grin on his face.  
  
"Well, I think we may be getting close."  
  
Luna pushed him slightly, "Why don't you follow her. I'll keep watch over the house, okay."  
  
Artemis nodded and raced after the blonde while Luna did another circuit of the house to see if during all the morning activity a way into the house had been created.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Artemis raced after the blonde, following her down into the London underground and just barely making it onto the same train that Mina got on. Once on the train, Artemis decided that boldness was called for and wove his way carefully through the crowded train, dodging feet and ankles, taking special care not to let anyone trample on his tail.  
  
Once he reached the blonde, still talking on her cell, he purposefully ran into her.  
  
"Meow!"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Mina looked down in surprise. She had been talking to Lexia, her assistant about the day's agenda when something had slammed into her ankle. Looking down, she saw a small, white cat.  
  
"Oh my god! How did you get on here, huh?" Mina asked, bending down to offer her hand to the cat to sniff.  
  
Once the cat had sniffed her fingers, it rubbed its head against her hand.  
  
"Lex? Yea, I'll talk to you when I get to the office, okay? Okay, bye." Mina said into her cell before sticking it back into the small purse she was carrying.  
  
Cautiously, Mina picked the small cat up, surprised that it was so friendly. She would have thought all the people on the train would have scared the thing witless but it wasn't.  
  
"Well, little one, I don't think you are supposed to be on here so we're just going to have to make sure you get off, okay?" Mina said.  
  
She was wondering how the cat had managed to get on the train in the first place. It could have just been a stray. London was full of them and the cat didn't have a collar but it was also extremely clean. Most of the strays she had seen were rather more wary of people too. Maybe someone had brought his or her pet cat into the station and it had run away?  
  
At her stop, she walked off the train with the little cat and went over to the information desk for the station.  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
She talked to the man behind the desk, explaining that she had found the cat and was wondering if anyone had reported one missing or lost. The man called a few people and finally replied that no one was looking for a cat. He then offered to take the cat and place it in a shelter. Mina was tempted but the poor thing seemed to understand the man and meowed pitifully at her.  
  
"No. If its alright with you, I'll leave my phone number her with you in case anyone comes looking for it and I'll just keep it for now."  
  
"No problem, miss."  
  
After leaving the station, Mina decided that the best thing to do was just go to work. She didn't have time to go home and drop the cat off so it would just have to spend the day in the office with her.  
  
She stopped in front of a brick building and went in, taking the elevator up to the fifth floor. As the elevator doors opened see allowed herself a small feeling of pride to see 'her' agency. She had been able to rent out the entire floor of this business building. There were several offices but half of the floor was a photo shoot area. Magazines and fashion designers rented the space from her, using her photographers and models for their publications.  
  
When she had first started modeling she had been having a hard time just keeping herself alive from day to day. But she had saved everything that she could and as her career had taken off she had been able to put more and more away. She had watched so many of the others party and spend their money on alcohol and the occasional drug. Mina had never been that big of a party person. At least not that type of party. She loved to hang out with people but she hated the way she felt when she was drunk. She had to be in control of herself. She didn't know why the thought of being drunk scared her so much but it was like a part of her demanded that she always be ready to take whatever the world threw at her and she couldn't do that when she was drunk.  
  
So, two years ago, she and her partner, Alex, an awesome photographer who had been in the business for longer than Mina had been alive, had started Topaz Modeling agency. Mina had continued to model and Alex was still taking pictures two years later but they were already starting to get quite a reputation for professionalism and reliability. Occasionally there would be tight months but they were getting less frequent and both Mina and Alex were making decent money. Enough for Mina to be able to continue living in her house. She and two other girls had bought it together a couple of years ago but both of them had since moved out. It was more than she needed but she had grown rather attached to the thing and was glad she could still afford it. She could even afford a maid to come once a week and clean up the disaster area that Mina couldn't help but leave in her wake.  
  
But she was still saving as much money as she could. It was an old habit and one that she wasn't inclined to try and break any time soon. And it was pretty easy to do since she didn't go out much anymore. She just had too much work to do these days.  
  
Lex was sitting at her desk outside of Mina's office and smiled as she saw Mina walk over.  
  
"What's up boss lady?"  
  
Mina had hired Lex several months ago. She was a few years older than Mina and treated Mina more like a friend most days than a boss, giving her opinion frankly and honestly. For that alone, Mina was grateful but Lex also was so good at her job that it was hard to believe that she hadn't been doing it for years. Part of the growing reputation that Topaz was earning lately was because of Lex and her way of handling everything smoothly and efficiently.  
  
Mina popped the small white cat down on her desk.  
  
"Look what I found." Mina said with a smile.  
  
"What a beautiful cat!" Lex exclaimed, offering her fingers to the cat, which sniffed them politely before shamelessly trying to get its head scratched.  
  
"I found him on the tube this morning on my way to work. I think I'm going to keep him if no one tries to claim him. I've been thinking about getting a pet anyway. That house is just too large for just me to live in, you know?"  
  
"That's great Mina. Were you going to keep him here for the day? The models will probably fall over themselves to pet him." Lex said without looking up from where she was petting the now purring cat on her desk.  
  
"Hee hee. That's all right. Just as long as I get him back at the end of the day. Would you mind running out to the store and buying some cat food for me? I have to track down what happened to the shipment that we were supposed to get this morning. Just charge it to the company account and I'll deal with it later." Mina asked.  
  
"No problem boss lady. Shopping with other people's money is always fun. As long as I'm buying food, you want me to pick up other things that you might need for him?" Lex asked as she grabbed her purse.  
  
"That would be great. Thanks Lex." Mina said with a smile and picked the white cat up, "Alright you, stop distracting my staff. You can hang out in my office till Lex get backs with your stuff."  
  
For the rest of the morning Mina was on the phone. The white cat had settled down on one of the chairs in her office and seemed to have gone to sleep.  
  
Lex returned eventually with several shopping bags full of different types of cat food, litter, toys and a couple food bowls. She had even bought one of those cat-climbing things. The white cat had inspected everything carefully and seemed amused by it all. When the climbing thing had been set up in one corner, he had climbed to the top and sat there looking down at her.  
  
"Hmm...Lex, I think you just gave my cat a superiority complex." Mina said, looking up at him.  
  
"Nonsense. He's a cat. Cats have an inborn superiority complex. I had nothing to do with it."  
  
Alex stopped by once, already having heard about the cat. It was nice to see that the office rumor mill was still working faster than the speed of light.  
  
"Hey kido!"  
  
"Hey old timer." Mina replied, not bothering to look up from the e-mail that she was typing.  
  
"So where's the kitty?"  
  
Mina waved in the general direction on the climber and went back to typing. Once she hit send she looked up to see Alex petting the white cat, which was almost falling over from pleasure.  
  
"So, did you just come in to see the cat like everyone else or do you actually need me?" Mina asked with a slight quirk to her lips. People had been finding reasons to visit her all morning. She had thought about putting the cat out into the main area so people would stop interrupting her but had figured that then the fur ball would become even more of a distraction for people.  
  
"Mina, you know I always want to talk to you. The cat's just an added bonus." Alex said, chuckling as he settled down into one of the spare chairs.  
  
For the next hour or so they discussed business. These little 'meetings" that they had allowed the two of them to talk about what was going on so both of them were kept informed on what the other was doing and any problems that going on.  
  
Eventually Alex had to leave. He was doing a photo shoot to do that afternoon and was meeting their clients for lunch before hand. As he walked out he gave the white cat a good-bye scratch under the chin.  
  
"Thought of a name yet?"  
  
"Nope. Any ideas?"  
  
"Snowball?" Alex suggested teasingly.  
  
The cat hissed.  
  
Alex laughed, "All right. I'll take that as a no. I'll catch ya later Mina."  
  
Mina looked at the cat after the door closed behind Alex.  
  
"You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say you understood that."  
  
The white cat just looked at her with wide, innocent eyes.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Alex gave Mina a ride home that night because she hadn't really wanted to take all the cat stuff, including the cat, onto the tube. He had helped her lug everything into the house as well before leaving.  
  
Mina set up the climber in one corner and the litter box next to it. When she finished she watched the cat sniff around the house and wondered again where it had come from. It was just way too friendly to be a stray. But there hadn't been a collar on it, or even a flea collar.  
  
Eventually giving up on her speculations she headed towards the kitchen and started dinner.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Artemis was looking for Luna. She had said that she was going to stay at the house but he didn't know if she was still outside or if she had gotten in. He couldn't smell her in the house so she was probably still outside.  
  
So if Luna was outside, that meant he had to find a way outside. After prowling around the house a little he found an open window. It wasn't open enough for him to fit through but that didn't mean he couldn't push it open a little further.  
  
Once it was open enough for a cat to fit through, he stuck his head out, looking for any sign of his companion. There was a slight movement in the shadows and then Luna materialized next to him at the window.  
  
"Hey Luna." Artemis said. He told her all about his day, telling her about Mina, her job and her co-workers.  
  
"We should go tell Serena that' we've found her." Luna said when he finished.  
  
"You should go Luna. I'm going to stay here."  
  
"What? Are you sure?" Luna asked, surprised.  
  
"Yes. I think it's for the best. Someone should stay here to look after her. Besides, she knows I'm here and it would be wrong to just leave her with no explanation."  
  
Luna looked at him for a moment, her eyes seeing more than Artemis wanted her too.  
  
"I understand." She finally said.  
  
"Thanks Luna."  
  
"Anytime partner."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hey! Me again. Have I mentioned I love you all? hee hee. Thanks for reviewing. Hope you all like this chapter.  
  
SlvrDrgn ~ don't worry. I'll get the two kitties together. But I'm going to play with them some more first.  
  
Izzy ~ Jupiter? Hmmm...maybe. Right now I haven't decided between Ami or Lita. Though Lita will probably be harder for them to track down...  
  
DarkFairy ~ Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy. And Serena will be in into the next chapter.  
  
neoqueen ~ I'm almost 95% sure I'm going to stick the generals in. Though they are going to cause a whole new set of issues for the scouts.  
  
Nathronoelei ~ hey! I'd be glad to look at anything you send me. Anything for an Anita Blake fan (only a few more months till Cerulean Sins! 2003! woo hoo!!!)  
  
Adyen ~ one Sailor V coming up...  
  
CrimsonDraggon ~ glad you like it. ; )  
  
Fallen_Angel ~ um...soon is a realative term...there are some things that I want to put in before the next scout is found...  
  
S. L. Butterworth ~ hee hee...I'll try and stick more Serena/Darien stuff in for ppl like you  
  
Venus Smurf ~ you are too, too cool. Mina's your fav, huh? I never would have guessed looks at your name and grins Anyways, I hope you like what I do with your fav character. 


	7. The Plot Thickens

Serena was standing in her kitchen staring at the empty refrigerator. There was absolutely nothing to eat in this apartment. No bread, no cheese, no milk, no eggs, to pasta, no rice, nothing. No food.  
  
Finally she sighed and closed the fridge.  
  
And Darien had classes early tomorrow so she didn't want to go over to his place to raid his fridge. He had already given up a lot to live on Tokyo with her. She was not going to screw up his classes by keeping him up all night just so she could eat. If all else fails she could just actually go grocery shopping. After all, that would be the mature thing to do.  
  
Serena finally found a bag of popcorn. Ah, dinner. Yum. All right. This coming weekend she decided she would go shopping. Defiantly. Maybe. Probably.  
  
She settled down in front of the television and decided to make the most out of her popcorn by popping in a movie. Something good...She grabbed Lady Hawke from its place wedged between the Princess Bride and the Last Unicorn. Always a fan of romance and comedy, this movie was perfect for her mood tonight.  
  
She was half way through her bag of popcorn when a small black shape landed in her lap.  
  
"Luna!" She cried, picking up the cat in an enormous hug.  
  
"Where's Artemis?" Serena asked after setting the small cat back down.  
  
"He's still in London. With Mina." Luna replied with a small purr.  
  
"With Mina? You found her? What do you mean with Mina?" Serena demanded, switching off the movie.  
  
For the next hour Luna filled Serena in on what had happened to the two cats in London. Serena asked several questions, some of which Luna couldn't answer.  
  
"I need to tell Rei and Darien." Serena said, grabbing the phone next to the couch.  
  
They would have to decide what they were going to do. Mina was obviously happy with her life. She was both a model and the owner of a modeling type agency. It must have been like a dream come true for her.  
  
Serena called Rei first and told her everything that she had just learned from Luna. The two talked for a long time before deciding that it would be best if the three of them met at the temple the next day. Agreeing, Serena hung up and dialed Darien.  
  
"Hullo?" A sleepy voice answered the phone.  
  
"Oh my god, Darien. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." Serena said with a guilty look at the clock. It was past ten already.  
  
"Hey Serena. Don't worry about it. What's up?"  
  
"I'm so sorry. It's just that Luna is back and they found Mina and I thought you would want to know." Serena said in a rush.  
  
"They found her? That's awesome!" Darien replied.  
  
Serena relaxed a little at hearing how excited he was. She hadn't realized it was as late as it was a she felt horrible for waking him up, especially since she had already made a conscious decision once this night to let him get some rest. She gave him a brief explanation of what had happened and told him about the meeting tomorrow. He promised to be there and then had gone back to bed.  
  
Serena hung up the phone with a sigh.  
  
She didn't want to be one of those clingy girlfriends either who had to spend their every waking moment with their boyfriend. Even though that was exactly what she wanted to do. But she knew that both of them needed some occasional space. He had never told her but she knew that his friends from America thought he was insane for moving to Tokyo for some girl. And she really couldn't blame them. If one of her friends had done such a big change for someone they had met over the summer, she would have questioned how smart the idea was too. So she tried to be a good girlfriend, to give Darien time to do schoolwork and hang out with other people. But it was still hard sometimes to reign herself in. Especially since being with him made the world perfect.  
  
And she took extra pains to let him do his schoolwork. Serena had just barely managed to get though high school and graduate, it had been hard enough when she had still been living with her parents but after she had moved out, things had just gotten harder. But she had managed and was grateful that it was over. She knew how important becoming a doctor was to Darien though. He had worked so hard to get where he was. And Serena, while she knew that he loved her, sometimes felt that she wasn't smart enough for him.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next day Rei, Serena and Darien were all gathered at the temple. Luna was telling them everything about her trip to London and what they had found.  
  
"I don't know Rei, Mina sounds like she is really well set up." Serena said.  
  
"That doesn't mean she doesn't have the right to know who she is." Rei snapped back.  
  
"I know. Well, I guess this means we are going on a small trip, huh?"  
  
"All three of us." Darien added, hugging Serena from behind, "You two need someone to help you beat off all the English guys."  
  
"But...what about school?" Serena asked, biting her lip.  
  
"Don't worry about it. If tomorrow's Friday. If we leave after my last class at noon I won't be missing anything. Besides, some things are more important than a class or two."  
  
Serena twisted around in his arms and gave him a quick kiss, "You really are too good for me."  
  
"Can I have that in writing for the next time you are mad at me?" He asked with a smirk.  
  
"Oooh you!" she said, hitting him playfully.  
  
"Ahem." Luna said, causing the couple to smile sheepishly.  
  
"Hey Luna, I want you to go back ahead of us and let Artemis know what is going on, okay." Serena asked.  
  
Luna nodded, "I'll head out once we are done here."  
  
"Thanks Luna. I want Artemis to know all the plans too." Serena said.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Artemis was stretched out in the floor in a splash of warm sunlight. He knew that winter was coming up soon here and he wanted to soak up as much warmth as possible. Suddenly in became colder as something blocked the window. Grumbling he opened one eye to see Luna standing there in the window.  
  
"Hey Luna, you're blocking my sun." He said as calmly as possible.  
  
"Artemis, you are impossible." Luna said with a small laugh as she jumped down.  
  
"You love me, you know it." Artemis said jokingly and almost bit his tongue.  
  
Luna gave him a strange look, "Maybe. Anyway, Serena is coming tomorrow, that's why I'm here."  
  
"Serena's coming? Good, because I've got news too. I think that our enemy has been attacking people here too." Artemis said.  
  
"What?!" Luna yelped, jumping down to where Artemis was laying.  
  
"I'm not sure but last night while Mina was watching the news I heard them mention that there has been an odd epidemic that leaves people extremely tired for several days. That sounds like how they are explaining the attacks in Tokyo."  
  
"No wonder we haven't seen much of them lately, they found new hunting grounds." Luna muttered angrily.  
  
"Well, when Mina is given her pen, then we will talk to Serena and see what she wants to do.  
  
"But..."  
  
"Luna, we can only deal with one problem at a time. First Mina, then the monsters in London." Artemis said sternly.  
  
Luna sighed, "Alright."  
  
"Good, now come share all this wonderful sun with me instead of blocking it." Artemis said, closing his eyes and rolling on his back so he could sun his stomach.  
  
"Silly moron." Luna said with a smile, lying down beside him.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Hey! Who said you could have guests?" A surprised voice woke the two cats up.  
  
Mina was looking down at her white cat, name still undecided, and the black cat that was curled up next to him. The white cat merely opened one eye and she could almost swear the thing was laughing at her. The black cat was staring at her with wide, surprised eyes.  
  
"Shh. Its okay honey. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at that white fur ball over there. He's only been here a couple days and he already thinks he owns the place." Mina said, extending her fingers towards the black cat. It looked a lot like hers. They even had the same odd mark on their foreheads.  
  
The black cat cautiously sniffed Mina's hand once politely before sitting back on her haunches.  
  
"Well, you definitely have more dignity that that fellow." Mina said, glaring at the white cat, "I suppose you can stay here tonight for dinner if you want. She said, heading towards the kitchen.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Stupid cats....think this is shelter...talking to myself now....going insane before I'm thirty..." Mina's muttering could be heard from the kitchen as she made dinner for herself and grabbed two cans of cat food.  
  
"Hee hee, I can't wait till she knows the truth." Artemis said with an amused glance towards the kitchen.  
  
"She'll kill you." Luna said matter of factly.  
  
"Probably, but its worth it."  
  
* * * * *  
  
A robed woman stood before a similar robed man.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"He almost has enough energy for us to begin." The woman stated.  
  
"And the other thing?"  
  
"We have narrowed down the search for Sailor Moon to a temple. Her energy signature is all over the place. It might be her base. I'm not sure. The temple priestess is the only one who lives there but I do not believe that she is Sailor Moon."  
  
"What about Sailor Mars?"  
  
"We don't have enough information on Sailor Moon's ally to let us make a guess."  
  
"Alright. Keep constant surveillance on that temple and watch our hotheaded partner as well. He is becoming too independent for my taste."  
  
"Yes, my love."  
  
* * * * *  
  
AN: AH! smacks head Sorry if this took awhile to get out. I live in Madison and its been Halloween and if you know anything about Madison and Halloween you'll know that the city becomes one big party. hee hee Also, sorry about that last chapter w/ Alex. I went back and fixed it and I hope it is all better now. Thank you to everyone who pointed it out. I wouldn't have caught it otherwise and that would've bit. And just because you ppl were so cool, here's another chapter, hopefully free of doubled scenes. Oh yea, and if you want me to e-mail you when I post a new chapter, just let me know.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Mathais-8888 ~ thank you so much. It's hard to try and think of what other people will find interesting. I'm rally glad you liked this.  
  
Silver Dragonfly ~ yea, I like playing with Luna and Artemis, especially because not many people do it.  
  
Vilranda ~ Don't worry. The next scout I bring in will have a general attached. hee hee.  
  
MoonWanderer ~ writing as fast as my little brain can justify blowing off studying, promise.  
  
Adyen ~ thanks for pointing that out. And sorry about that. The first entrance was all I originally had for Alex but I wanted more interaction with him in the story. I just forgot to go back and get rid of the first part.  
  
Venus Smurf ~ thank you once again. I can't wait to read your next chapter to roommate either. And I've got some other people that I e-mail things out to as well, so no hassle. It just means I'm guaranteed a review from such a cool person ;)  
  
S. L. Butterworth ~ hee hee. Lita, huh? Well, we'll see...  
  
Bluejello ~ *blush* sorry about that. My bad. I was editing the story and decided I actually wanted Alex to talk but I forgot to get rid of the first part I had written. But I'm glad you like the story anyways. And I went back and fixed that, so hopefully it should be all good.  
  
Shinigami ~ whoa! one question at a time here...Okay, at least on general will be brought in with the next scout they find. That's my plan at least. Serena and Darien will keep getting mushy little side scenes. Hotaru is still alive. I'm working on figuring out the timeline for this because several things that happened in the past never happened here. Amy's story is going to similar to Mina's, ie, she's not in Tokyo anymore. Lita, well, I'm just not telling. And as for Serena's parents...well, I have plans...  
  
Setsuna-baka ~ thank you so much for the review. I hope that you like this chapter as well. 


	8. I Left My Love in London

Mina was stretched out comfortably on her couch petting the white cat that she had acquired less than a week ago.  
  
"Okay, okay, names...Let's see, Snowball is out. How about Lucifer? After all, you're no Angel, despite that white coat of yours. Okay, no. Um.... Fluffy?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye.  
  
The white cat looked up at her and she felt the slightest prick of claws on her arm.  
  
"Alright, alright, no to Fluffy too." Mina laughed.  
  
Just then there was a knock at her door. Checking through the peephole she saw two women and one guy standing outside on her step.  
  
"Damn. Why is it always two girls and a guy? Why can't it ever be two hot guys? Minus the girl?" She asked the cat who had come to the door with her.  
  
"Hello?" She asked as she opened the door.  
  
The blonde in the middle smiled and Mina had a brief thought that this woman would have made a great model. Maybe that was why she was there. Actually, all three of them had such unique looks that she would have loved to use them in a couple up coming photo shoots.  
  
"Hello, my name is Serena and these are my friends, Rei and Darien." the blonde began hesitantly, her Japanese accent giving away her origins.  
  
"Would you rather speak in Japanese?" Mina asked, switching over. She had spent a lot of time in Japan as a child and the language was almost as familiar to her as English.  
  
The blonde smiled at her gratefully, "Yes, thank you. I'm afraid it's been awhile since I took English in school and I was never good at it to begin with."  
  
"I understand. School and I didn't mix too well either." Mina said with a grin.  
  
"Would you mind talking to us for a moment? It is about the cat that you found in the subway a few days ago."  
  
"Oh." Mina said, realizing that these might be the cat's owners with a sinking feeling in her gut. She had grown attached to the fur ball. "Would you like to come in?"  
  
"Yes, thank you."  
  
The trio walked in and sat on the couch while Mina took one of the chairs.  
  
"So, are you his owners?" Mina asked.  
  
"No. Artemis is your cat if he's anybody's." The blonde said with a laugh.  
  
"I don't think I understand." Mina said, puzzled. Just then she saw the black cat from the other night sitting at the man's feet. "Hey, that cat was here last night!"  
  
"Yes. This is Luna. The white one's name is Artemis." The girl stated, picking up the black cat and petting it.  
  
"Artemis, hmmm? Well, that is better than Fluffy, I guess." Mina said absently as she tried to figure out what was going on.  
  
"Fluffy?" the blonde managed to spit out in surprise before falling into the guy, Darien, sitting next to her, giggling helplessly. The other girl and the guy both seemed to be trying not to smile as Artemis stalked stiff legged to a corner and began to ignore them as only a cat could.  
  
"I'm sorry." The girl said as she tried to regain her composure. "Anyways, I have something of yours. We came to return it to you." Serena said, pulling out an orange pen.  
  
"This isn't mine." Mina said, taking the pen curiously. It was quite beautiful, the gold symbol of Venus on the outside complementing the orange well.  
  
"Yes, it is. But you won't remember having owned it, so don't worry about it." The girl looked like she wanted to continue but couldn't find the words.  
  
"That pen is your history." The raven-haired girl, Rei spoke up. "If you open it, you will finally learn who you are."  
  
"But there is a price." The blonde said quickly.  
  
"There is always a price." Rei said, "But some things are worth it."  
  
Serena looked at her friend for a moment before turning back to Mina, "If you open the pen, there is no going back. You seem to have a good life going here and I don't want you to lose it. And that may be a consequence of opening that thing."  
  
"I have no idea what you are talking about." Mina said, beginning to think that she had just let three complete loonies into her apartment.  
  
"Don't worry about in Mina. You're not really supposed to understand. We'll head out now. That was all we came for." Serena said standing up. The other two stood as well and followed her to the door.  
  
As they were filing out Serena hesitated for a moment and pulled out a card with her name and several phone numbers written on it.  
  
"Have you ever heard of the hero Sailor V?" She asked as she handed it to Mina.  
  
"Yes, of course." Mina said, wondering what this was about.  
  
"Give me a call if you ever meet her."  
  
And with that the three people headed out, the black cat trotting at their heels.  
  
"What the hell? Sailor V is a video game hero. How would I ever meet her?" Mina asked as she threw the card down on her coffee table next to the orange pen.  
  
"And what do you know about this whole thing, hmmm?" She asked the white cat sitting at her feet.  
  
He just looked up at her, and she sighed.  
  
"Sure, plead the fifth on me. Geesh." She said, heading towards the kitchen to start dinner.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So, what do you think?" Serena asked as they walked towards the hotel they were staying at.  
  
"I don't know." Darien replied.  
  
"If Mina doesn't open the pen on her own, Artemis will find a way to get her to do it." Rei stated matter of factly.  
  
Serena sighed, "I just hope this all works out."  
  
"It will. Now, let's go check out those news reports that Artemis mentioned to Luna." Darien said, wrapping an arm around Serena.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Mina was taking a walk through Kensington Park, trying to clear her mind and figure out what had happened the other night. She couldn't stop thinking about the people that had shown up yesterday. Finally she had decided that she needed to go for a walk and get some fresh air.  
  
Those people had been insane and yet...there was something about all of them that seemed almost familiar. And they had that black cat with them, Luna. The one that had been in her house the other night. And Artemis had obviously known them. But they had said that he was her cat. What exactly did that mean? Did they used to own him and were giving him to her? Was this some new program of the Human Society to help bring up adoption rates?  
  
And what did a video game hero have to do with anything?  
  
Suddenly, up ahead of her she heard a scream.  
  
She raced towards the sound and stopped in her tacks as she saw a young woman being attacked by...something. She had never seen anything like it. The only word that seemed to fit was monster. Suddenly the things claws hit the woman and she collapsed on the ground.  
  
"Hey! Leave her alone!" Mina shouted.  
  
As the monster turned towards her, she cursed, "Shit, shit, shit. Smooth move Mina."  
  
The monster slowly began to walk towards her, almost like it was stalking her. Her brain was working in overdrive, trying to figure out how to escape.  
  
"Mina!" She heard someone yell.  
  
Both she and the monster turned towards the voice but all that she saw was her cat, Artemis.  
  
"Mina! Open the pen!" Artemis yelled.  
  
"What the hell?! You can talk?" Mina shouted in shock.  
  
"The pen! Now!" Artemis shouted as the monster leapt at her. She grabbed the orange pen that Serena had given her and ripped off the cap. Just before the flood of memories hit her she saw Artemis leap onto the monsters face and heard the monster howl in anger.  
  
Then, there were a thousand images and feelings as her memories came rushing back into her. Memories of being Sailor Venus, of betrayals and deaths, oaths of loyalty to a long destroyed kingdom and friendships that had beaten death himself.  
  
But before she could process everything, the part of her that was Sailor Venus came roaring to the surface, in full battle readiness, sensing evil near. When she opened her eyes, she only had a moment to take in Artemis laying on the ground, the monster hovering over him before she attacked.  
  
"Venus Love Chain Encircle!"  
  
A gold chain formed in her hand and whipped forward, encircling the surprised monster and holding it. But the monster was putting a lot of strain on her chain with its struggles. The chain wouldn't be able to contain it much longer.  
  
"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"  
  
A beam of pure light came from her hand and hit the struggling monster. A scream of pain tore through the quiet of the park and a flash of bright light blinded anyone who might have been in the area. When the light finally faded, the monster was gone, destroyed.  
  
Venus collapsed on the ground, drained from the power needed for those attacks, attacks that she had not used in such a long time, and crawled towards the white form laying unmoving on the grass.  
  
"Artemis?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena clutched the seat and Luna dug her claws into Serena's leg as Darien took the final turn at a frightening speed into the veterinary's parking lot. In the back seat of the rental car, Rei was already unbuckling her seat belt. Almost before the car was even in park the four of them, Rei, Serena, and Darien, were out of the car and racing towards the entrance. Inside they saw Mina, sitting in the waiting area.  
  
Mina looked up as the three of them came crashing in to the room and gave them all a weak smile.  
  
"Hey guys, long time."  
  
Serena grabbed her old friend into a hug, "It'll be okay. I promise."  
  
Mina had called them, sobbing, from the veterinary's office less than twenty minutes ago. All that Serena had been able to make out was that Artemis had been hurt in a fight with a monster.  
  
Rei walked over to Mina and pulled out a bottle of aspirin and handed it to her, "I remember what I felt like after opening my pen. You may want these."  
  
Mina smiled wanly at her raven-haired friend and immediately popped the lid off the bottle and swallowed a couple of the pills inside. As the pain in her head began to recede, Mina filled the group in on what had happened. Supposedly she had also called an ambulance for the girl that had been attacked but had only stuck around long enough to see that the paramedics found her before taking Artemis to the vet.  
  
"And I almost didn't wait that long." Mina muttered.  
  
After almost an hour of waiting, one of the veterinary assistants came out and smiled down at the group.  
  
"Your cat came through surgery wonderfully. We'd like to keep him overnight but he should be alright."  
  
"Thank god." Mina whispered as Serena hugged her again.  
  
"Hey, where's Luna go?" Darien asked as Mina got up to deal with the paperwork.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Luna dodged the people in the back room as she searched for Artemis. She knew that they had said he was going to be okay but she had to see him and make sure.  
  
Eventually she made it to the kennel area and saw Artemis inside one of the cages. His fur had been shaved in several places and ugly stitches could be seen through the light gauze he had been wrapped up in. Nudging the latch, she managed to get the door to swing open, a feat easier to accomplish from outside the cage than inside it. Inside, she sniffed the white cat carefully, still smelling the remnants drug they had used to knock him out during surgery.  
  
"Artemis, you fool. What were you thinking, attacking a monster like that?" Luna spit out angrily at his sleeping form. "What am I supposed to do if you go and get yourself killed, hmm? Who's going to make stupid jokes and stop me from killing Serena if you don't get better?"  
  
She paused a moment, fighting down a sob that threatened to break free, "So...so, you have to get better, okay? Because I love you, you stupid fur ball and if you die, I'll kill you."  
  
"A little extreme, don't you think, kitty cat?" Came the soft reply.  
  
"Artemis! I thought you were still knocked out."  
  
"Maybe I am. After all, I think I just heard you say you love me." Artemis said with a weak half smile.  
  
"I said no such thing. You must be on too much pain medication." Luna said indignantly.  
  
"Too bad. 'Cause I love ya too." He replied, opening a single eye to look up at her.  
  
"What did you say?" Luna asked, stunned.  
  
"Nothing, I'm still knocked out, remember?" Artemis said.  
  
"Nothing, really?" Luna said, indignation in her voice as she pounced on the infuriating white cat in front of her.  
  
"Hey! What the stitches!" Artemis yelped.  
  
"Now," Luna said, brandishing her claws in front of Artemis' face, "What was it you just said?"  
  
"I love you."  
  
"Good. Because I love you too. Now get better fast so I can kill you." Luna said, walking out of the cage.  
  
A soft chuckled followed her as she left to go find Serena again.  
  
* * * * *  
  
That night they all spent at Mina's house talking about the past and what had happened to each of them over the last few years. As Mina's new memories had a chance to settle in her head the conversation turned to scout business and their new enemies.  
  
"So these new enemies are attacking people in places other that Tokyo now?" Rei asked.  
  
"It seems like it. It only makes sense after all. Why risk a battle when you can just relocate?" Mina said.  
  
"I miss Ami. She would have been able to tell us where else they might be attacking people." Serena sighed.  
  
"Well, Artemis noticed the news reports and that's what made him suspicious. There's no reason why we can't keep an eye on the news and where similar reports are coming from." Darien said.  
  
The group fell quiet for a moment at the mention for Artemis.  
  
"Well," Mina said finally, breaking the silence, "I think that I should stay in London instead of returning to Tokyo with you guys. If they're attacking here, at least one of us should stay to keep an eye on things."  
  
Serena looked at her friend, "I'm not sure I like the idea of you staying here to fight by yourself."  
  
"Isn't that what you did?" Mina said with a small smile, "Besides you guys will only be a call and a teleport away if I need you."  
  
"Alright, Mina. I understand. Your life is all here in London, too. We would never ask you to drop everything for us." Serena said.  
  
"Thank you." Mina said, "But now that I remember how to teleport, don't you think for a moment that I'm going to miss out on the shopping in Tokyo on the weekends."  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next day, Artemis was released from the veterinary's care. When Mina told him that she was still going to live in London for the time being he looked over at Luna as he announced that he was staying with her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The rest of the day, Artemis kept trying to get a chance to talk to Luna alone but there was always someone else around. Finally he just sighed and waited for everyone to go to bed and give him a chance.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Later that night, Luna and Artemis were sitting on the roof of Mina's house.  
  
"Luna, I'm sorry. But Venus is my charge. I neglected my duty once. I can't do it again. I can't leave her here to face the enemy all alone."  
  
Luna turned and licked his cheek, "I understand, love. And if you were to do any differently, you wouldn't be the cat I have known for several lifetimes."  
  
"Then you aren't mad?" Artemis asked.  
  
"Mad? No. Besides, it's not like the scouts aren't going to be seeing each other almost every week at their meetings. This will just give you lots of time to miss me and realize how lucky you are." Luna said with a sly look.  
  
"Oh, I know just how lucky I am. But you can remind me any time you want to." Artemis said, rubbing his cheek against Luna's.  
  
* * * * *  
  
AN: Ahhh!!! Mina's chapters are done. Woo hoo!!! Would you believe that this was actually supposed to be about the same size as Rei's chapters? But no, I just had to keep adding stuff. And I hope you all like this chapter. It's a little longer than normal but I wanted to end this section of the story. Anyways, I have great plans for the next few chapters...that is if the characters don't hijack me again and do their own thing. grrr. Anyone else have that problem?  
  
Okay, to my awesome reviewers:  
  
Adyen ~ Ah! Thanks so much! I try but editing is one of those things that I don't always do as well as I should, usually because I'm so happy to be done that I'm too busy doing happy dances. Thanks for the help.  
  
Marni ~ thanks. Hard to believe that this really was supposed to be a one shot thing when I started.  
  
Dark Magician Girl ~ hee hee, I think I'm done with the cats for awhile. It's time to play havoc with some other characters. How you like how their story ended here though.  
  
Shinigami ~ hee hee, those are some of my favorite movies but they are kind of hard to find. Lady Hawke is actually an old Michelle Phiffer movie. The story is told through the eyes of this thief Mouse. The Last Unicorn you actually stand a better chance of finding in the book store that the movie store. It's about a unicorn that becomes human. Diana, will probably not show up in this fic, but I definitely have a special place in my heart for her for my own reasons. She and I actually have the same name. ; ) I'm not telling who the general is that is going to show up. Geesh, I need a little mystery here. And if I do this the way I'm planning, it will actually be Venus who runs into the outers first, not Serena. Okay, enough secrets divulged to you!  
  
Dria ~ Jadeite fan, hmmm? We'll see. lol. Thanks, for the originality comment. There are so many Sailor Moon fics out there that it is hard to find a fresh way of looking at the story. But I'm glad you like.  
  
S. L. Butterworth ~ I am so glad you like the cats. I actually haven't read that much stuff with them as main characters so I wanted to work them in. I hope you still like them. I'm not sure if the scenes between those two are up to par here but I hope you still like. And making Serena more mature was more a self defense thing for me. I would have gone insane trying to write a clingy character. Probably end up yelling at my computer more than I do now.  
  
Venus Smurf ~ hee hee. Coming from someone whose writing is as awesome as yours, that is one of the best complements I've ever gotten. Thus, you get as a thank you an longer than normal chapter and an earlier than planned update. Thanks!  
  
Bluejello ~ Thanks again for the heads up. I swear I can't edit my own stuff. And thanks for the improvement comment. That is something that I seriously pray for, that I get better not worse. 


	9. Family

The legendary heroin, Sailor Moon, valiantly fought against the never- ending stream of enemies, dodging attacks left and right. And finally, finally the goal was within sight. The prize that she had fought so long and hard for.  
  
"Yes! Double stuffed mint Oreos!"  
  
As Serena grabbed the package of cookies, a woman with a screaming child came around the corner and barely missed hitting the blonde full on with her shopping cart. The battle wasn't over yet. There were still some things left to get on her grocery list. Back into the maze of aisles we go!  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena laughed at her own thoughts. She usually loved grocery shopping even though she never could seem to be able to stick to her list. It was just that there was all this great food everywhere she looked. And then there were these ladies giving out samples. And once you tasted it, well, it tasted so good so you wanted to have some a home too and then before you knew you had a grocery cart full of food that wasn't on the list.  
  
But there were more people than normal, the holiday season coming up fast. People were out buying groceries for their big family meals. And for the first time in a long time, she had a family too. Granted, it was an odd one, including two talking cats, a Priestess, a model and a med student, but they were her family. And there were others out there too. And she was going to find them.  
  
After grabbing a few more things, Serena decided that it was time to go before she did more damage to her checking account than she really afford. As she turned into a new aisle, one leading towards the check out area, and had another cart, this one pushed by a teenage boy ram full on into her.  
  
'And the great heroin was within sight of her final goal' Serena almost giggled.  
  
"Oh my god, Serena?" The boy asked.  
  
Serena turned to look at the boy for the first time and frowned. He looked familiar but she just couldn't place the face...  
  
"Sammy?"  
  
Serena was speechless. She hadn't seen any member of her family since that night that she had been kicked out. She had thought of going home a couple of times, to see if everyone was alright but she just couldn't bring herself to. She hadn't wanted to deal with being kicked out again, with seeing the disappointment on her parents faces again. And the result was she had barely even recognized her own brother.  
  
The two stood staring at each other for a while, each trying to think of something to say.  
  
Finally Serena smiled slightly, "How are you doing?"  
  
Sammy seemed to snap out of his daze with her words and smiled shyly back, "I'm good. You?"  
  
"Good. How are Mom and Dad?"  
  
"Oh, they're okay." Sammy said. After another uncomfortable pause, "They miss you."  
  
"Really?" Serena asked, surprise and wistfulness coloring her voice.  
  
"Yea. You should come home and see them." Sammy said.  
  
"Umm...well, I'm really busy right now and..." Serena began, torn. She wanted to go home but she didn't want to and she needed more time to think and deal with all her emotions.  
  
"Hey. It's okay. How about you give me your phone number so that I can call you? Please? I can at least fill you in on all that's happened while you were gone." Sammy said.  
  
Serena gave a nervous laugh and pulled a pen out of her purse, "Um, I don't have any paper. Do you?"  
  
Sammy grabbed the pen from her hand, "No problem. What's the number?"  
  
Serena gave him the number and he wrote it on the palm of his hand. Then he clicked the pen shut again and handed it back to her.  
  
"So, when's a good time to call?" He asked.  
  
"Well, I work Monday thru Friday till 4. So, probably anytime after five. But if I'm not there leave a message, okay?"  
  
"No problem."  
  
Just then a large woman shoved passed them, pushing the two of them out of the way.  
  
"I guess I better go." Serena said.  
  
"Yea, me too. I'll talk to you later."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Bye."  
  
* * * * *  
  
At home Serena put away her groceries slowly, not really paying attention to what she was doing. Instead, her thoughts were focused on Sammy and what he had said.  
  
They missed her. Maybe she should go home, let them know that she was okay.  
  
And Sammy had changed so much. He was taller than she was now and his voice had gotten deeper. She had never really thought of her family as changed. On one hand, if asked she would have said that of course things were bound to change over several years but that had never quite registered fully. But now the possibility of changes had hit her fully and she wondered what else had changed. Were they still living in the same house? Were her Mother and Father still working at their same jobs? What school was Sammy going to these days and how was he doing in school?  
  
* * * * *  
  
Darien was in the kitchen cooking. He had offered to cook dinner for her tonight if she actually went grocery shopping. Serena was a horrible cook and tended to get things that required minimum effort on her part but if her offered to cook she would buy healthy food for a change. Offering to cook on her shopping days ensured that there would be decent food in her apartment and gave him an excuse to hang out at her place. Not that he really needed an excuse.  
  
But tonight she was acting strange. Normally she would have been in the kitchen with him, talking about her day and trying to sneak tastes when his back was turned but tonight she seemed distracted and quiet. It was times like this that he realized how little he about her. He knew their past on both the Moon and on Earth before he was stripped of her memories for the second time. But he had never had a chance to just be with Serena on Earth, not like Endymon had been with Serenity on the Moon. He hadn't known who she was at first and then Beryl had turned him against her.  
  
That must have been like a nightmare for her. He was never sure how much she had remembered of the Moon when they were fighting Beryl the second time. He knew that his memories had been much more incomplete than they were now but he also knew that Serena, as the Princess, had always known more than the rest of them. Did she know that Beryl's Generals were her Scouts old lovers? Had she remembered how the Scouts had been forced to fight their Generals over and over again, until all of them had died in that final battle? And if she had, what must it have been like to have Beryl finally get her love too?  
  
And now, she was not the Moon Princess that Endymon had fallen in love with and she was not the young girl that Darien had bumped into everyday and delighted in teasing. She was a woman who had fought for her life daily, seen the deaths of her friends and risked her life too keep from seeing it again. But regardless of what life had made her, he still loved her. He had wondered for a while if he still would. But there was something about her, something he couldn't explain even to himself, that called out to him and he knew that he would always need that certain thing to make his life complete.  
  
But that didn't mean that he understood Serena. Though, come to think of it, Endymon had never really understood Serenity either. And his Serena had had several years to learn how to keep her own council. All Darien could do was keep reminding her that she wasn't alone anymore.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena stared at the book she was pretending to read but her mind was on her family. Sammy was going to call her one of these days and then what? Was she going to try to go home? Could she ever go home? She had left. And if she were being completely truthful with herself she would admit that she was angry with her family. Angry that they had not known what she was going through and that they had abandoned her. The rational part of her argued that they hadn't known that she was Sailor Moon and there had been no way for them to know what she was going through because she couldn't tell them. But no matter how many times she told herself that, there was still a part of her, irrationally, insisting that as her parents they should have known and supported her.  
  
Serena glanced up at Darien working away in her kitchen. The smell of cooking food was beginning to fill the apartment and caused her stomach to awaken. She stretched, getting up from the couch, and decided to not worry about this until dinner was over. For right now, there was a raven-haired hottie in her kitchen cooking for her. He deserved attention too.  
  
Serena snuck quietly up behind him and made a grab at one of the pieces of chicken in the frying pan. Popping it into her mouth she let out a gasp as the piece of meat began to burn her tongue. Sucking in air she made a dash towards the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water and took a long pull from it. She turned around after replacing the water bottle to see Darien silently laughing at her. She glared at his helplessly shaking shoulders for a moment before poking him in the ribs.  
  
"Don't laugh at the misfortune of others."  
  
Darien grabbed her finger and used it to pull Serena into his arms. She tried to struggle free but she was effectively pinned to his chest.  
  
"Don't poke the other children." He said, leaning down to smile into her eyes.  
  
"Who are you calling a child?" Serena said, mock anger in her voice.  
  
"Hmm? You're not a child? Really? And how are you going to prove it?"  
  
"Like this." Serena leaned forward and captured Darien's lips with her own. As she deepened the kiss she felt his arms around her loosen slightly. When she was sure that she was free, she suddenly nipped his bottom lip and made a mad dash for the living room.  
  
"Hey! No biting either!" Came an angry shout from the kitchen.  
  
"You can't come out of there or something will burn!" Serena yelled as the chef started to leave the kitchen.  
  
Darien stopped and looked at the pans simmering on the stove and then glared at the flushed blonde. Finally he turned back to his cooking, muttering under his breathe. Serena collapsed on to the couch, giggling.  
  
* * * * *  
  
After dinner the two of them were curled up on the couch together, watching television in a comfortable silence.  
  
"Darien?" Serena asked hesitantly as the show they were watching ended.  
  
"Hmm?" he turned towards her slightly and turning off the television.  
  
"Do you...tell me about your parents." Serena asked hesitantly.  
  
"What? Why?" Darien asked, sitting up and pushing away from her slightly so he could see her face better.  
  
"It's just that I was thinking about family, you know, with the holidays coming up, and I was just realizing that neither of us really has one, a family, I mean, and I was wondering what yours was like...before...I've never heard you talk about them." Serena trailed off, looking into his eyes.  
  
After a few moments of silence, Serena dropped her eyes and, staring at the center of his chest, said "Never mind. It was stupid. Forget I asked."  
  
"No!" Darien said, surprised at his own outburst, "No, it's okay. It's just I don't remember that much about them, I was so young when they died."  
  
"You don't remember anything?" Serena asked.  
  
"Well, I remember things like the way my mother smelled and that my father used to carry me on his shoulders so I could see over people's heads but most of the things I remember are more like feelings. Nothing I can really tell someone else. Is there some reason why you wanted to know?" He asked, painful memories swimming in his eyes.  
  
"I told you. I was just curious." Serena said, defensively, regretting asking him and reawakening all that old pain.  
  
"Serena, you know that Rei and Mina and I are your family, right? And Luna and Artemis too." Darien said, trying to figure out what was going on.  
  
"I know. I just...you know, wonder sometimes. About my family." Serena finally admitted.  
  
"Have you ever gone back? Or even called them?" Darien asked gently.  
  
"No. I didn't think they want me." Serena said quietly.  
  
"Shh." Darien said, pulling her against him in a hug, instinctivly trying to protect her from this hurt.  
  
She clung to him like he was the last sane thing in her world and he simply held her, pushing back his own inner demons to help her face hers. The two of them sat there for a long time, clinging to one another, seeking and giving comfort to each other. And as they held each other, the rest of the world fell away for a short time and all their problems were forced into the background by the strength of a simple hug.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Well, please don't kill me for not bringing out the next scout. I wanted to start dealing with some personal issues, for Serena especially. And I know it took me awhile to update. Hopefully over winter break, I'll be able to write more often.  
  
Sailor of Shadow ~ hee hee. And here I thought I was being pretty nice. After all, there was a certain part in that last chapter that I considered ending it at that really would have had people mad at me.  
  
Silver Dragonfly ~ yea, I know what you mean. I've been thinking about going back and working on the cats parts there, especially that last scene with them. But I wanted to move on so I put out what I had. I you have suggestions for that last Luna/Artemis scene they would be appreciated.  
  
S. L. Butterworth ~ um...who's next? well...its...*falls off chair while laughing maniacally* I can't tell you! hee hee. But, here's a hint, there will soon be others in London with Mina.  
  
Ambre Wisniewski ~ Thanks for the review!!! And to be perfectly honest, I can't hint at what I'm not sure of myself. But it'll be either Lita of Ami...please don't kill the author.  
  
lazzykane ~ a patient reviewer? Wow! I stand in awe. No one is patient here? But anyways, I'll be using the classic generals, Malachite, Jedite, etc, etc. The others may get cameo shots but they aren't the the ones I want to play with this time around.  
  
Adyen ~ Once again, thanks for helping me with all my editing issues and being so cool about it!  
  
Bluejello ~ *pulls out a coin* Heads = Ami, Tails = Lita, ready? Okay. Huh, what do ya know...  
  
Dreamstreet 4 ever ~ Thanks for the review! And I hope you like this chapter too!  
  
Venus Smurf ~ lol. As always, coming from you, I am honored. Hope your brothers are still behaving and thank you for the ego boosting review. And I am glad someone other than me is able to picture what is going on in this story. ; )  
  
PrincessSerena66 ~ awww...but if I finish it then there will be no more...hee hee. Actually you'll just have to buckle down here for the long run because those villains of mine are going to be a pain in the butt.  
  
MoonWonderer ~ Updating! Aye aye sir! 


	10. Revelations

Serena sat staring out the window of her apartment at the streets teaming with people. They were all so busy and wrapped up in their own lives to notice a lone blonde watching them. It was moments like this that made the girl who was Sailor Moon feel her fate or destiny or whatever you wanted to call it the strongest. Somehow this scene seemed like the perfect metaphor for her life. A lonely vigil over all of humanity. She knew that she was no longer alone in her vigil but it was had at moments like this to remember that.  
  
The phone's ringing shattered her quiet reflections, and Serena reached over from her perch on the window sill to grab the phone.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hi. Is this Ms. Tsukino?"  
  
"Yes." Serena answered, expectation a sales pitch at this point.  
  
"Oh good. This is Mrs. Mizuno. You called me about a month ago about the class reunion. I'm sorry it took me so long to get back to you. I've been helping out a friend of mine start up a new free clinic in Nigeria for the past two months and I only got home this week."  
  
"Really? Wow. We had assumed that we had a wrong phone number for you." Serena said, trying frantically to remember the lie that they had made up to tell Ami's mother to get information of her whereabouts. They had chosen a class reunion because it was the easiest to explain.  
  
"Is there still time to give you Ami's address?" the woman on the other end of the line asked, "I know she would love to come if she can."  
  
"Yea, the reunion isn't for awhile still. We wanted to give people plenty of time to plan ahead."  
  
"That's great. Here, I'll give you Ami's phone number along with her address, though if you call it'll be long distance. She's going to med school in Germany these days."  
  
Serena almost hit her head against the wall. Germany! Of course Ami was in Germany. The only reason she hadn't gone there before was because of the scouts. She should have remembered that.  
  
As she wrote down the phone number and address, she had to smile. Her scouts sure did get around when they weren't fighting monsters. Darien had gone to America, Mina to London and now Ami was in Germany.  
  
And she couldn't even keep them in this country once they were fighting evil monsters. Darien had gone back to America to visit his friends for a couple week. Part of her morose mood was due to the fact that she hadn't seen him for awhile. Rei was out of town at one of Chad's concert's for a long weekend and last she had heard, Mina was flying into Paris to go to some sort of fashion conference. This meant that there was no one to call to tell the good news to.  
  
Serena smiled even larger as she hung up the phone. She was getting spoiled. One weekend without any of her friends or Darien and she was moping like it was the end of the world. What had happened to that fiercely independent woman that had stood in her place less than a year ago? She knew what had happened, that woman had decided that independence was all well and good but it was a whole lot nicer to be able to depend on others.  
  
And she was even getting part of her family back. She had talked to Sammy every week since she had run into him at the grocery store. It had been a little awkward at first but her brother was an amazing kid. He told her stories about what was going on in his life that made her laugh till it hurt and had a way of making it seem like nothing had ever separated them. He was still obviously her little brother, for he had a little brother's knack of instinctively knowing how to irritate her to no end, and in a perverse sort of way she had missed that part of having a family as well.  
  
Well, she might as well go to Germany and track down Ami. That way she would have more to tell the others when they all came back.  
  
Serena grabbed a large duffel bag out of her closet threw pair of jeans and a couple shirts in it along with her tooth brush and a couple extra hair bands. And that was it. Serena grinned. Traveling was a whole lot cheaper when you just teleported everywhere rather than dealing with airports and trains.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena checked into a cheap hotel for the night and grabbed a local map of the area from the city's tourist information center. She also picked up a few other brochures on the local sights. After all, how often was she in Germany?  
  
Grabbing her purse and keys, she caught the local bus down to where Ami was living and decided to check that out first. It was a little hard to get around. She had never been good at learning foreign languages. Her English was horrible but it was a whole lot better than her German. When they had gone looking for Mina, it had been Darien who had done most of the talking to the locals. After living in America, he had been the logical choice for interpreter. But now she was by herself in Germany. Luckily, most of the people were understanding and patient with her as she tried to figure out which bus went where.  
  
Finally she got to Ami's neighborhood. It was actually on the fringes of the university's campus. The address Ami's mother had given her led to a two story house with four bikes parked on the front porch.  
  
A woman sat reading from a huge book on the porch railing as Serena approached.  
  
"Guten Tag!" the woman chirped happily when she noticed Serena.  
  
"Hallo...ist Ami heir?" Serena struggled to ask if her friend was there in the weird language.  
  
"Nein." The girl said, shaking her head before saying something else too fast for Serena to have any hope of catching and made a few vague gestures towards the school campus that Serena hoped meant that Ami was at class, or the library or something.  
  
"Danke." Serna said politely, trying not to show just how little of that entire conversation she had understood. The woman didn't seem to notice her confusion and went back to reading.  
  
Serena then began the hike towards the school. The campus was beautiful. There were trees everywhere and students lounged about reading text books and taking notes. Serena passed one class of students sitting around their proffessor as he lectured about somthing or other. All along the sidwalks, written in chalk were advertisements for differant activities going on and in the far distance she could hear music playing.  
  
For a second Serena allowed herself the odd thought of what life might have been like if she had been able to go to a university. She had never really felt bad about ending her education until now. There was something about being surrounded with thousands of people your own age, all there to learn, with a feeling of such expectation and hope everywhere...It made her realize for the first time what she might have missed out on and for the first time, she actually regretted that sacrifice.  
  
Just as Serena was about to give up on ever seeing her old friend, she spotted a familiar face and blue hair in the crowds of people. She had actually been looking in the right direction for a while but it had taken some time for her to realize that the woman she was looking at was Ami.  
  
Ami was taller and her old short haircut had allowed to grow out a little, so that it brushed her shoulders. In one hand she carried a laptop computer while her other hand was gesturing to help he make some point to the woman she was walking with. Neither one noticed the man running after them. But Serena notice.  
  
And if it had taken her a minute to recognize Ami, she recognized immediatly.  
  
Serena watched in shock as a man she had defeateded once came up behind Ami and hugged her around the waist, surprising a squeak out of her. Zoisite. But...he was dead. Killed by the queen he had served for his failure to kill her. How could he be alive?  
  
Serena remembered more now than she had the first time she had met Zoisite on Earth. With her second rebirth she had remembered the painful things that her mother had tried to keep from her child and her child's friends. Things about Beryl's four Generals and the last days of the Moon. But she wasn't sure how much Rei and Mina, or even Darien remembered. The pens that she and Luna had made for the scouts were rather crude compared to what her mother had once been able to do. She couldn't pick and choose what the scouts would remember. And Darien's memory had come from himself, from his own soul. But she had been a coward, unwilling to ask the painful questions.  
  
And now one of the very things that made their past on the Moon so painful was hugging Ami, whispering into her ear and making her laugh. Why was he alive? And if he was alive, were the others? Serena frantically thought of her final battle with Beryl. She had made a request of the Silver Crystal, to restore her friends to life and...to make them happy. Had the crystal somehow brought back their old lovers as well as the scouts in order to make them happy? Was this her fault? Was this even a bad thing?  
  
Her scouts had once loved those men as much as she had loved Darien. On the Moon, as Beryl had kept up the attack on the galaxy, devouring planet after planet, till only the Earth and the Moon were still free from attack, she had managed to get a hold of Darien's Generals and turned them against their own people. She had done it to try and get at Darien, who was to be her ultimate prize but the added hurt to the inner planet's Princesses and guardians had been an extra bonus to her.  
  
How would her scouts react to hearing that their one time lovers and betrayers were alive? After Darien had been taken from her so long ago she had been ready to move mountains to get him back but it was that very betrayal that had helped her to let him go when he hadn't remembered after their rebirths. An irrational part of her had feared that letting him get close again would only result in another betrayal. But later her love for that man had overridden all else.  
  
But would it be the same for her scouts? Their betrayals were so much worse in so many ways, the Generals having been with Beryl for so much longer than Darien and both sides having died...a couple times. And then there were the Generals themselves. Did they remember anything? Could she restore their memories and if she could, should she?  
  
Suddenly she was very glad that the others had all been busy this weekend and none of the others even knew where Ami was. Because suddenly awakening Mercury had more ramifications than it had had before and she needed to think about this for awhile before telling the others. She needed time.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Down in a cavernous room, the pervading darkness was broken by a circle of five lights, floating around the edges of a circle outlined in black fire. Inside the circle of fire was a woman sitting cross legged with her gray cloak spread around her, hiding all of her but her head from the two men watching from the outside the circle. Above her head floated a Black stone, pulsing slowly with the power that was slowly being forced into it.  
  
"How much longer is this going to take?" snared the younger of the two men.  
  
"Patience. This is delicate work and cannot be rushed."  
  
"Patience? She has been in there for over a week now. She'll die of starvation if nothing else before she is able to finish this."  
  
"She knew what this would entail before she started. Do not think for one moment that she would go into something this important ill prepared. She is doing something that neither you nor I could do. Now let her do it. And worry about doing your part.."  
  
"I don't understand why I am still harvesting energy." grumbled the young man.  
  
"Because, this is only phase one. The crystal's energy reserves will need to be replenished as we use them against Sailor Moon. And I want that energy to be available immediately. Sailor Moon has already proven herself a powerful enemy. I will not give her the chance to defeat us again." the elder of the two said, glaring at the other man, a cold wind beginning to circle him.  
  
"I hope that this is worth all the effort." The younger man said, finally dropping his eyes in the face of the elder's wrath.  
  
Stalking away angrily, he left the older man watching the woman alone, in silent vigil.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hey all! Sorry, I know it took me forever to write this. But I was a break and my coputer wasn't on-line and I had no time because I was working so please don't yell at me. I promise to do better.  
  
Anyways, on to my responses to the poeple I love ;)  
  
lazzykane ~ thanks for the patience! I probably used up too much though. I'll be getting more into the family later on. AH! Too many ideas for one story.  
  
Marni ~ I'm glad that I posted more too.  
  
Sailor Midnight ~ I hope you like this new chapter too.  
  
SlvrDrgn ~ yea, well, the kitties are at least together. I'm just glad people approved of separrating them again and didn't yell at me too much  
  
Adyen ~ thanks for the awsome 'no comment'. I know that feeling. You want to review a story but you just don't know what to say. Thanks for trying!  
  
silver wolf ~ congrats! You figured out where Ami was. As to where Lita is...well...that's still a secret. But she's out there. I promise.  
  
Random Reader ~ lol. I love that name. Glad you like the story so far. I'm trying to make it feel at least a little like the show with each chapter kinda like an episode but I couldn't write SM like the show. She needed to be a little less clutsy for me. So I'm really glad people aren't giving me a hard time for it.  
  
Shinigami ~ Well, it was actually you review that made me start explaining how much Serena remembers of the Silver Millennium. See, that why reviews and reviewers rock.  
  
BenRG ~ thanks for the rating. lol. I hope your not too disappointed with Ami being the next scout but Lita will actually be pretting difficult for them to track down. But thanks to your review I have this awsome scene idea for Lita fighting that I can't wait to write. I'll try to do more detail in the battles. I agree I don't have a lot there but I have a hard time making the fights unique. Ah well, something for me to work on.  
  
Ambre Wisniewski ~ Thanks for the heads up about SM being brought out by ADV. I'll have to keep an eye out for it.  
  
Codie ~ ack! Sorry, I feel bad for taking so long to write with such awsome reviews like yours. Way to guilt trip the author into writing more.  
  
Moon Wonderer ~ I'm so glad that you liked the details about Serena and Dariens relationship. I was a little worried people would be bored.  
  
millyvanilly ~ Ack! I know my grammer needs help. I get all excited while writing and my typing skills aren't quite up to the speed of thought. I promise to fix anything you point out to me.  
  
Venus Smurf ~ hey!!! Don't worry, I feel strongy for characters all the time. As you should know, considering your story Roommate is one of those that I wish I could yell at the characters some times. And I hope your vacation was relaxing!  
  
PrincessSerena66 ~ yea, I remember captain planet. The whole recycle or be beaten up by gaia was great. An Johnny Quest is a great old school cartoon.  
  
Sailor of Shadow ~ hee hee. What can I say, I tend to be inspired by the cookies in front of me. But now they're all gone. How sad.  
  
Silver Dragonfly ~ Hope your break was awsome. If you have any ideas, let me know. Otherwise, I'll be looking at stuff that I've already written here eventually and seeing how I can improve it.  
  
A. Kitana ~ hee hee. Thank you so much. But trust me, I've found some amazing authors here. Compared to them...well, I'm just happy people don't hate me.  
  
tima ~ Ah yea, more people making me feel guilty for not writing faster...ah well, at least you nice about it. And I love all the exclaimation points. :)  
  
Kaji ~ lol, actually, most people seem to be ignoring my villains. I'm glad that you noticed them. They'll be getting bigger roles as the story progresses. And I can not confirm nor deny their identities at this time. Where would the fun be in that?  
  
thaiger ~ *blush* Thank you.  
  
Nutty Colada ~ lol. Thanks for the reviews. I hope you got to read past chapter 3 but I realize this gets long after awhile.  
  
If I missed anyone, i'm sorry. But all these awsome people wrote and it's hard for me the keep track of any number larger than two. lol. Thanks again to eveyone. You all rock!!! 


	11. First Dates

Ami ran towards her house. She was late. Again. Damn that man anyway. He was always making her late. No matter how much she swore to herself that she wouldn't let him this time, somehow she always ended up staying just a minute too long.  
  
She smiled slightly as she ran down the street towards her house. Zoicite had simply appeared in her life one day and refused to leave. She could still remember how at the beginning of her semester a year ago he had plopped himself down next to her and talked all during lecture. She had been so furious with him. Granted all the Professor had really done that day was go over the syllabus and course outline but that hadn't made her any nicer to him. But despite all her best efforts to ignore him, he had not taken the hint and actually had had the audacity to ask her out at the end of the lecture.  
  
And after she had carefully explained to him all the reasons why she did not date while in school he had asked her out again. She hadn't known whether to laugh or scream at this point, though she had been leaning more towards screaming. And the entire time he just stood there, grinning at her like a moron. A quick glance at the clock behind him confirmed that she now only had five minutes to make it all the way across campus for her next class. He had made her late the very first time she met him.  
  
In desperation she had tried to step around him but he had blacked her exit.  
  
"What will it take to make you go away?!" she almost yelled at him.  
  
"Your phone number." was the prompt reply.  
  
"Fine!" Ami recited her number as quickly as possible and, seeing her opportunity, had actually leapt over one row of seats and made a mad dash for the door. She had been late to her next class.  
  
That night, she had gotten a phone call. It had been him. She had been sure that she had spit out her phone number for anyone to catch but she had never encountered Zoicite before. After several minutes of him asking her out, her refusing and them his asking her out again she had finally relented, agreeing to a date, convinced that the man on the other end of the phone was a complete lunatic.  
  
But she had gone on that first date anyways. Mostly from curiosity but determined not to enjoy herself. But Zoicite had forced her to have a good time. The man wouldn't take no for an answer and forced her to do a bunch of random, impetuous things like cartwheels in the street that left her blushing furiously but laughing breathlessly.  
  
And at the end of the date he had kissed her, quickly before running off, yelling that he'd see her soon. She had spent a good part of the night laying in bed trying to convince her mind to stop thinking about Zoicite and let her go to sleep but her mind stubbornly refused and kept flashing scenes at her from there date and especially the kiss at the end. It was enough to make her feel like an idiot with a teenage crush. Not that she had much experience dealing with things like this. She hadn't dated a lot back in Japan and now here she had always told herself that she was too busy for a boyfriend. And it wasn't like there were a lot of guys fighting for that position.  
  
The next day, she had been sitting in the front row of another one of her classes when a gorgeous blue violet was suddenly in her field of vision. Turning, she was confronted once again with the grinning features of Zoicite.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she had exclaimed.  
  
Sticking the violet behind her ear Zoicite said "I have this class too, silly."  
  
She had just gapped at him. She had kind of assumed that since he was just a...a..goof off that he wasn't all that smart. But the more she got to know him, the more she realized she had found someone who was incredibly intelligent. He was actually going to school for biomedical engineering, and a lot of their classes overlapped each other. And he turned out to be her greatest competition for the top slot in test scores. As their relationship had progressed it had become an almost ritual between the two of them that the person with a lower score on a test they both had took the other one out to dinner.  
  
Snapping herself out of her reverie, Ami sprinted up the stairs of her porch, flying past Kristin, one of her roommates.  
  
"Hey Ami! You mom called! And did that blonde girl ever find you?" Grabbing her work clothes and shoving them into her bag she yelled back, "What girl?"  
  
"There was some blonde girl looking for you earlier today but I told her you had class and then had to work tonight so maybe she'll just come back."  
  
"Hmm..." Ami tried to think of anyone who might have been looking for her matching that description and finally gave up, shrugging, "Don't know who it was but if it's important I'm sure they'll come back.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena sat in her hotel room trying to think.  
  
Why could nothing ever be simple? All she had wanted was to find her friend but now she had to deal with this, what ever this was.  
  
Serena stood up and began to pace in front of the window. Why couldn't she remember what had happened in that last, final fight with Beryl? She knew her memories had been erased but she thought that they had all been returned when she had become Sailor Moon again. She could remember everything up till the very end fine but when she had used the crystal to destroy Beryl...there was something important that had happened, something she knew that she needed to remember but just couldn't.  
  
And then there were her memories from the Silver Millennium. The good parts she could remember clearly but she still felt like her mother's magic was blurring some of the more horrible things that had happened. And she couldn't afford to not remember. She needed the truth about the Generals who fought with Beryl. In many ways it was like trying to remember a dream. You knew, just knew, that the memories were right there, just below the surface but you couldn't quite grasp them.  
  
And why had her mother done this to her? It was one thing to try and let Serena and the scouts live normal lives here on Earth by not letting them remember the Moon but once they were forced to fight again, her mother had no right to still try and protect them by hiding their memories from them. What she needed now was in those memories, damnit!  
  
She needed to talk to Darien and the other scouts. Maybe if they all got together they could remember something that she could not. But how could she tell the scouts that the men they had once defeated might still be alive? That Beryl might still be alive? How could she tell Darien that the men that had once been his Generals were still out there? How could she explain to her scouts that the men they had loved in another lifetime and then killed, were possibly back, possibly healed?  
  
But she wasn't going to not tell them. The scouts were her friends, her family in more ways than one and the people that she trusted above all others. She couldn't expect them to trust her, to believe in her as their leader if she lied to them. And she would not lie to them. They deserved better. They were true warriors. People who did not flinch away from confrontation. And if she couldn't save them from having to fight this battle she could at least stand beside them as they did.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ami listened to the message on the answering machine from her mother after work and frowned.  
  
Why would her old school be trying to find her for a reunion? She hadn't actually graduated from there. She had taken several exams that equaled out to be the same as graduating so that she could attend school here in Germany but that didn't mean that her old school would acknowledge her as a graduate from there. Maybe they had gotten their records screwed up or something like that.  
  
She'd just have to talk to her mother about it later. Right now she still had some reading to do for her classes and she was already tired from work. And she had to get it done because Zoicite owed her dinner for getting two more points than him on her biology midterm.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The next morning Serena packed her bag and checked out of the hotel. She needed to go home and talk to the others. As much as a part of her was screaming at her to stay and keep an eye on things, she had committed herself to a team now and those teammates of hers needed to know what was going on.  
  
Glancing one last time towards Ami's campus, Serena teleported home from the deserted alley.  
  
As the light faded, from deeper back in the alley, a human body was dropped with a soft thud and a pair of red eyes stared at the place where the girl had disappeared and smiled, evilly, revealing a flash of white fangs, before disappearing in it's own flash of light.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hey! Okay, this is actually a little shorter than I usually shoot for but I couldn't resist stopping there. What can I say, I wanted to do a semi- cliff hanger. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this. It was mostly Ami/Zoicite so let me know if you like that or not. All mistakes are intentional. I swear. THough if you point them out to me i'll be sure to fix them asap.  
  
And to my wonderful reviewers:  
  
BenRG: Got you panting, huh? lol. I think I'll take that as a good thing. Anyways, yes, the villians are going to start coming out more openly and you'll have to suffer through one or two of my attempts at action/fighting scenes though I have an interesting one floating around in the back of my mind right now.  
  
Shinigami: Yes! We've got a Ami/Zoi supporter in the group! As for them being clones, I have no idea about the blleding green thing. The crystal idea is actually a combination of the movied the Dark Crystal, and that thing that the rainbow crystals was supposed to form in the anime.  
  
PrincessSerena66: I promise to read your fic as soon as I find some time. I have been swamped with school here recently and only managed to write this chapter because I needed to keep sane. But I swear I will read it soon.  
  
Adyen: *bows* I have always relied upon the complements of strangers  
  
Kaji: lol. Sure sure. You just go ahead and think what you like about the villians. hee hee, and I'm glad you like getting a response from me. There are just so many thing's people write to me in reviews that I want to respond to. And besides, I get to give all those evil little hints about the story. ;)  
  
MoonWonderer: I hope you like where I am going with the generals here. If people really hate Zoicite, that may change how the rest of the story goes. So let me know, pleease?  
  
lazzykane: Yea, I'm sorry about the horrible delays in getting chapters written. But I'm still alive and writing, I promise.  
  
Bluejello: Thanks! And yea, I am going to do the whole family thing here soon to but that is going to be an on going thing, that will slowly pop up here and there.  
  
Lil-PrincessK: Thanks. I'm still trying to give Serena that fun-loving quality without making her a total ditz. Actually, I'm sorry to say that some of the things that I have her doing in this story as sort of comedy relief things are actually things my friends and I have done. *grins sheepishly*  
  
S. L. Butterworth: I really hope you like how I do this general plot line. Let me know though if you don't. Critisism is a good thing, I swear. hee hee. As for Lita, she's out there somewhere, kicking some butt and she'll show up soon.  
  
Random Reader: Well, I could say blame the university for my lateness of writing but writing is what I do to keep sane. Anyways, thanks for the awsome review! History of English Language, huh? I'll take your word on that being interesting.  
  
Venus Smurf: Hey! Alright, you have to let me know if Serena's little monologue thingy sounds like your story. For some reason, as I wrote it I kept thinking of your Roommates story. I am really sorry if I copied any of your ideas. I tried not to. Maybe I'm just being paranoid but let me know what you think. I don't want to steal you stuff, conciously or unconsiously. Anyways, hope your break was awsome. And I agree, Serena, Mina, and Rei together need someone smart and someone to act as a buffer from them all killing each other. 


	12. Phone Calls

Serena threw her bag into the bedroom and walked over to the answering machine and punched the button under the flashing red light.  
  
"Hey Serena! Well, you must be out." The voice of her brother began. "Well, I was just wondering if you wanted to hang out next weekend. Mom and Dad are leaving town for the weekend so you don't have to see them if you still don't want to but I thought you might want to see the house again or something. Okay. Call me on my cell sometime!"  
  
Serena smiled sadly. Her brother never failed to amaze her. She would never be able to repay him for just being her little brother again. And he never pushed for her to do anything she didn't want to. Like now, he knew she still wasn't ready to face their parents again but he was giving her a chance to go home again.  
  
Hopefully she would be able to.  
  
There was a beep and then Darien's voice came on.  
  
"Hey Serena. I miss you."  
  
Yet another person in her life she didn't deserve. How a message consisting of only five words could turn her to mush, she didn't quite understand but it did and she suddenly desperately wanted to just be held in Darien's arms for a minute so that she could just forget all her worries and problems. Just for a minute. But he still wasn't due home for another week. But maybe he would make it to the scout meeting. She sure hoped so.  
  
Serena looked at the phone. Rei would be home tomorrow and Mina was probably still in Paris. She'd wait to call Rei till after work tomorrow. Right now she was just too tired to worry about all the what-ifs of Ami and Zoicite and getting everyone together to deal with them.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena dragged herself home from work the next day. She was so tired. Work had been horrible. Several people had been sick and that meant she was trying to finish their projects as well as her own so that everything got done on time. And because of all the added stress, those people who were in were frustrated and taking it out on everyone else.  
  
And she still had to call Rei and Mina.  
  
And Darien. Though she really hated to call him, since he was with his friends, she also really wanted to talk to him. Just to talk to him. This was the longest they had been apart since finding each other again and she was beginning to realize just how much she had come to rely on his strength to help support her through everything.  
  
But one thing at a time here.  
  
Rei. Call Rei.  
  
Serena plopped herself down on the couch with the phone and dialed the temple's phone number. And listened to the ringing on the other end. And then got Rei's answering machine.  
  
"You've reached the Hino temple. Please leave your name and number and we will get back to you as soon as possible."  
  
Sigh. Rei really needed a less generic message on her answering machine.  
  
"Hey Rei. It's Serena. I need to talk to you as soon as you get back."  
  
"Serena! Wait!" A breathless Rei suddenly came onto the line.  
  
"Rei! I thought you weren't back yet."  
  
"I got back this afternoon but you called just as I was getting out of the shower so I was going to ignore the phone till I heard you on the answering machine. What's up?"  
  
"I need to talk to you and Mina. I got a lead on Ami but there are some things I want to talk about with you guys first."  
  
"Ami? That's great! Um...when did you want to get together?"  
  
"It's kind of urgent so...tonight?" Serena asked, hesitantly.  
  
"Tonight? Sure. But it's going to be a late night. Don't you have to work tomorrow?"  
  
"Yea. But I don't want to wait." Serena said.  
  
"Serena? What's wrong?" Rei asked, hearing something in her friend's voice that brought a wrench to her heart.  
  
"Tonight. I'll tell you tonight. I have to call Mina now, okay?"  
  
"Okay. But what about Darien?  
  
"I'll see if I can get a hold of him but there is a huge time difference and I'm not sure if I'll be able to."  
  
"Alright. Good luck."  
  
"See ya soon." Serena hung up and dialed Mina's number, praying that the scout would answer her phone.  
  
After a couple rings, Mina picked up.  
  
"Good afternoon!" came the cheery answer.  
  
"Hey. It's Serena. What are you up to for the next couple hours?"  
  
"Um...well, I was supposed to go out with some people and do a little shopping before we left Paris. But I can get out of it easily if you need me to. I was actually thinking of getting out of it anyway, in fact. What's up?"  
  
"We need to have a scout meeting. Something has come up and I want to talk to you guys about it as soon as possible."  
  
"No problem. I can be at Rei's in a half hour unless you need me any sooner?"  
  
"No. No that would be great. It's not that urgent but I just don't want to wait to tell you guys, just in case. I was just worried that you wouldn't be able to get out of something."  
  
"Hey Serena. We're Scouts first. Everything is cancelable when it comes to saving the world." Mina laughed.  
  
"Right Mina. And who was it that said if any monsters attacked during this show they would personally rip into itty-bitty pieces?"  
  
"But I would still be there. Alright, I have to go track down Luna and Artemis if we are all going to be there on time. Those two are certainly enjoying getting themselves lost in the city of love." Mina said and Serena could almost here her devilish grin.  
  
Serena laughed, "You have to tell me all the details when you get here. See you soon."  
  
Serena hung up and couldn't help grinning. She could just picture the monsters cowering in fear of Mina because they'd ruined her spring fashions show. And as for Luna and Artemis...well, she'd just have to see how much she could tease her guardian.  
  
Now for the last call. Serena looked at the clock and cringed. She could never remember what the time difference was between Japan and the US.  
  
Just don't let him be sleeping...  
  
"Hmm..." came the muffled answer after several rings.  
  
Damn. He had been sleeping.  
  
"Hi Darien." Serena said quietly, resisting the urge to bang her head against the wall.  
  
"Serena? What...Why are you...Hi." Came a rather confused reply.  
  
"Umm...are you able to make a scout meeting tonight?"  
  
"Huh? When?"  
  
"In about an hour?"  
  
On the other end of the phone she heard a little banging around before Darien answered.  
  
"An hour? From now? Yea, okay. Yea, I can be there. Just...just give me some time here to grab stuff and get dressed and then I'll be there."  
  
"Sorry Darien. I didn't mean to wake you up."  
  
"Don't worry about it. There are much worse ways to wake up. See you in a bit."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Serena hung up. She had wanted to ask what time it was there but had been too afraid to hear his answer. But he was coming which was all that mattered for right now. This meant that they could all talk about what to do. Now she just needed to figure out what she was going to say.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The demon stood in front of it's master and smiled as it added the woman's energy to the reserves that the master was creating.  
  
It's master was preoccupied, pacing back and forth in the huge cavern, so he failed to notice that this demon crouching there. Finally though, his head snapped up and he glared at the dark, grinning figure.  
  
"What are you still doing here?" the master growled.  
  
"I have news, sir."  
  
"What?" the master said, the anger leaking out of his voice as it was replaced by curiosity.  
  
"While I was out collecting energy, I saw a blonde woman teleporting out of an alley."  
  
"What! A blonde woman? Was it Sailor Moon?" the master now was standing directly over the demon.  
  
"She was everything that you said to look for in our search for Sailor Moon's identity, sir."  
  
"Where were you hunting again?"  
  
The demon then began to describe everything he had seen and heard in the alley in Germany. It wasn't much but this was the first time that any of the demons had seen any signs of Sailor Moon when she wasn't fighting them.  
  
"But what's in Germany that Sailor Moon would want?" The master asked himself, forgetting the demon beside him momentarily. "There is no way that she could have been looking for us there. Then why?"  
  
The master looked back at his minion.  
  
"Go back there and watch. If anything happens I want you to send for me immediately. Stick to the shadows and do not fight her. This is too important to screw up because someone acts prematurely."  
  
The demon's bowed, and began to back out of the room.  
  
"Wait. A reward for your services." the master said, tossing a dark ball at the demon.  
  
The ball engulfed the shadow demon for a moment and when it reappeared, it's red eyes glinted evilly as it bowed again.  
  
"Thank you, master." It hissed, the shadows around it swirling and dancing ominously above it's head.  
  
When the demon was gone, the red-haired master smiled.  
  
"Well well. Let the other two waste time sitting around making their precious crystal. It looks like I'm about to find out who the mysterious Sailor Moon is."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hey! Its the author again. I realize that there is a distinct lack of action here but bear with me. But I wanted to post this. I'll try and get the next part out soon. Thanx!  
  
Okay, to my reviewers:  
  
Adyen ~ Yea, things are about to get more interesting for Serena. Especially she the bad guys figure out who she is.  
  
Marni ~ You'll just have to wait for the others reactions till the next chapter. Thanks for reading and reviewing and I hope that things are still interesting even though I'm making you wait.  
  
Deny ~ I'm so glad that you got a chance to read my story. And I will do a big battle. Just may take me awhile to build up to it.  
  
BenRG ~ no, no vampires...well...interesting idea...No! no vampires. Just evil monsters/demons. As for Serena backing off...well, I wanted to bring in the other scouts before they made any decisions about Ami and Zoicite. And I like to keep people guessing about whether he's good or not. Is that evil?  
  
happygolucky111 ~ Hey, I love Lita too so she will be getting a very special entrance into this fic. Just for all the people who have been waiting for her.  
  
Venus Smurf ~ Thanks! I was just a little worried because I had been thinking about your fic when I was thinking about the scouts dealing with the generals. Yea, and my villains are becoming more creepy. But that is because I'm actually going to try to have more confrontations with them and start making things even more complicated. Yea for complications!  
  
MoonWonderer ~ I'm like 75% sure that Zoicite is good...and that tells you something about how little control I have anymore over my characters...But I would prefer a good Zoicite too. Adds to the angst and confusion. hee hee.  
  
Bluejello ~ hee hee, well, hope this answered your question.  
  
Alcandre ~ Thanks! It's always cool to hear that people care about my characters.  
  
Random Reader ~ another update. hee hee. And I will *try* to write faster but I have all these stupid professors who think I should be writing for them instead of you guys. Go figure.  
  
Freakiedgrl ~ Yea. I had to look up where she had gone. And the whole smacking the head thing that Serena talks about is what I did in real life.  
  
The Misfit Dragon ~ I'll see what I can do to keep Ami and Zoicite together.  
  
SJ ~ Thank you. I'll try to make my updates sooner.  
  
Megolas ~ hee hee. Everyone wants to know if the generals are evil. Right now I am leaning towards not evil. But you never know...even if they don't start off evil, things happen (oooh! foreshadowing. yea right, like I have any control over my characters anymore)  
  
PrincessSerena66 ~ no problem. And I was telling the truth when I said that your writing is getting better. Just keep at it.  
  
Zorra ~ Well, I hope you got a chance to read the rest of the story. Thanx for the review.  
  
lazzykane ~ well, I'll see what I can do with clones...but I make no promises. 


	13. Scout meeting

Serena sat, staring at the floor. In the other room she could hear Rei. The Fire goddess had gone to grab snacks for the others who would be there soon. Serena suspected that the real reason that Rei had left her here though was that she was about as much fun to hang out with as a tree right now.  
  
Outside she heard a cheerful voice call out, "I've got kitties!"  
  
A second later, Mina came bouncing into the room, a cat slung over each shoulder.  
  
"Mina, you can put us down now. Please." a slightly nauseous Luna said.  
  
"Told you that riding on Mina's shoulder was harder than you gave me credit for." Artemis said, jumping down from his shoulder to the ground with a sly look.  
  
"So what is the news, ma petite?" Mina asked, plopping down across from Serena, "And where's Pyro?"  
  
" 'Pyro' is standing right behind you with food that she is now considering taking back." Rei said from the kitchen entrance.  
  
Mina bounced to her feet again and grabbed the food from Rei's hand, "Let me help you there."  
  
Serena watched as Rei tried to glare at the blonde energy bubble that had invaded her temple, but somehow it just didn't seem as threatening as it should of. Mina, meanwhile, began telling them all about the show in Paris, going into miniscule details about some of her favorite new fashions. Her energy was so contagious that Serena began to let herself forget a moment about everything and get wrapped up in her friend's enthusiasm for life.  
  
Suddenly her vision was blocked by a beautiful red rose.  
  
"Darien!" she cried, whipping around to hug him, taking note of his somewhat rumpled appearance before kissing him.  
  
"Damn girl. And I though Pyro caused some heat." Mina said.  
  
Serena pulled away with a blush, shocked by her own reaction to the sight of Darien.  
  
"Heh. If that's what I get for bringing you flowers, I'll have to remember to do it more often." Darien said with a slight smirk, holding Serena tightly to him when she had tried to pull out of their embrace.  
  
It took a couple minutes for everyone to get comfortable. Darien sat with his back against a wall, pulling Serena down so that she could sit between his legs, leaning back against his chest. Rei had plopped down in a small pile of pillows and Mina lay on her stomach with Luna and Artemis perched on her back. All eyes were now on Serena and she cleared her throat, trying to remember everything that she had planned on telling the scouts.  
  
"I found Ami. Her mother finally returned our phone call. She is going to school in Germany." she finally got out.  
  
"That's wonderful!" Luna exclaimed.  
  
Rei looked at her oddly for a second, "What's the catch Sere?"  
  
Serena looked down at the floor and felt Darien's arms tighten momentarily around her, reminding her he was there, offering her his strength and comfort.  
  
"What...what do you remember about the Moon Kingdom and the Silver Millennium?" she asked quietly.  
  
"I..." Mina began, hesitantly, "I don't actually remember that much. I remember Venus more than the Moon. It's like the memories dealing with the war with Beryl are still hazy and I can't...I don't know."  
  
Rei nodded, "I'm the same way. Memories that I have of Mars, if I close my eyes, are so real that I can still make out every detail, every emotion I was feeling at the time. But the Moon...I remember that like it was a story told to me a long time ago."  
  
"How about...Beryl's four generals?"  
  
"What about the..."  
  
Serena watched Mina and Rei as a look of utter shock came over their faces. They both looked horrified and she could only guess that Darien's face was similar to theirs. It was like there was a curtain that had been ripped away before their eyes, allowing them to see something that they had never even dreamed existed.  
  
"They...were...oh my god. Beryl's generals were..." Mina trailed off.  
  
"They were once my generals." Serena, leaning against Darien's chest felt each word rumble out of him in an utterly emotionless voice.  
  
"Why didn't we realize this sooner?" Rei demanded angrily.  
  
"We..I mean, I...I guess I always knew. I just..." Mina looked helplessly at the others.  
  
"We didn't want to think about it. Gods! What else have we missed?" Rei angrily said, glaring at something on the wall midway between Serena's head and the ceiling.  
  
"So, you know." Serena finally said, breaking the silence.  
  
Rei's eyes immediately focused down on Serena's, "And you've always known. What's going on Serena?"  
  
Serena flinched slightly at the fire goddess's dangerous tone of voice, "Not always. It took a lot of time looking at my own memories to realize what was now there. But yes, I've known since before I found you all again."  
  
Rei looked at her, a little of the anger fading as the shock began to fade, "So why are you bringing this up now?"  
  
Mina looked speculatively at Serena and Darien remained silent at her back.  
  
"I need to know what you guys remember. About the generals. We all had different encounters with them both in the Silver Millennium and then her on earth. I need to know what you remember because...I don't think they are dead."  
  
"Merde!" Mina swore softly to herself.  
  
The cats, who had been strangely silent up till this point, jumped off of Mina's back and walked over to stand in front of Serena, both of their tails lashing, showing their confusion.  
  
"Why do you think that Serena?" Luna asked in her gentle voice.  
  
Serena, looking down at her oldest friend and guardian felt her heart clench and she closed her eyes as she spoke, not wanting to see everyone's reaction, "Because I saw Zoicite. With Ami."  
  
Even with her eyes closed, Serena could almost feel the wounds in her scouts souls being ripped open, wounds that they had thought healed over. Their pain and shock slammed into her and only the weight of Darien's arm wrapped around her kept her from fleeing the barrage of emotions.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Darien looked down at the top of Serena's head. He could feel her pushing back into him, almost as if she wanted to crawl into him and hide from her own words. Those same words that he was trying desperation to understand. But his brain was trying to protect him by not letting their meaning sink in. But slowly their meaning got through to him.  
  
Zoicite.  
  
Alive.  
  
With Ami.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Rei's first instinct was to fight. To go out, find that bastard and send him back to whatever hell he had crawled out of. But she didn't know where he was and she couldn't seem to get out any words to ask.  
  
The thought that kept circling around and around in her mind was Ami was in danger. She clung to this, used it to fight off all the other thoughts, thoughts of another general that might be alive. That she might have to fight. That she might have to kill.  
  
Again.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Mina stared at her friend and princess. Her princess. Who had just announced that the scout's greatest loves and worst enemies might still be alive. And her only thought was why?  
  
Why did the universe delight in this sick, twisted joke that was their lives? Why was she, princess of Venus, so called goddess of love, one of those who had love snatched away from her in every life time? Why was she, a protector of the moon, always forced to watch as the very woman she tried to protect died protecting her? And why was it that her friends and her must always be the ones to fight the pain that the universe threw at them?  
  
Why?  
  
* * * * *  
  
Finally, Serena began to tell her story to the silent room, never once opening her eyes. She explained about finding Ami, about seeing Zoicite and about her doubts. She laid everything out for them and finally, when there was nothing left to say, let silence reign over them once again.  
  
After awhile the others began to share their memories. It was slow, and halting at first with lots of pauses. But momentum slowly began to build up and the stories began to flow faster and the pauses grew fewer.  
  
At first they talked about the battles on Earth and how they had never remembered who they were fighting. Then the battles during the Silver Millennium, and the anger and betrayal that had never been given reign to before was finally given voice. And then, slowly, hesitantly, they began to talk of before. Before the battles. Of the love and friendships they had all once shared.  
  
And eventually exhaustion claimed them. Though they had not figured anything out, it was like they had made the first step. They had accepted their pasts. They had dealt with them. This didn't mean that everything was now magically all better but they were all over the initial shock. And that was all once could expect from them this night.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A/N: Hey all! Sorry this takes me so long to get out to you. Alright, immediate plans. It is getting to the point where I am going to have to bite the bullet and give you a chapter dedicated to my villians, explaining everything. You have no idea how scary this is because it took me awhile to figure out just who I wanted and when I did the first thought was "They're going to kill me" follwed quickly by "And how the hell would I fix that so it was a happy ending?"  
  
So...um...if I ask nicely before hand, will you all promise not the hate me?  
  
Okay, respose time:  
  
Ginny_Star ~ I love the cats. Actually that whole thing was to placate a plot bunny that wanted me to do this story with Artemis imagining himself as a classic 50's gumshoe. The bunny is still hopping around but it was happy with the cat's parts in this fic.  
  
BenRG ~ um...yea, to the teleport thing. I know I take some liberties with what they can do but ...um...artistic license? I hope you like how this meeting played out. Especially Rei's little 'must kill now' urges.  
  
Random Reader ~ one word. Midterms. *shudder* But anyways, I hope you like this. And I really do try and get this stuff to you guys when I can. But right now I'm going insane trying to do everything. Writing is actually a breather for me. I love doing it and I really am glad everyone has been nice about it.  
  
Venus Smurf ~ okay, just remember, you like complications. And I promis I will read your roommate sotry and actuall review soon! grrr. Life had been chaos personified with trying to get the sets for three differant plays painted, gaming on the weekends, midterms, papers and then dealing with my friends' mental breakdowns that I just haven't had time. Sorry! Really really really sorry! I still love your stories sooooo much!  
  
MoonWonderer ~ thanx. And like my note said, I really do plan on spilling my guts about my villians soon. Hope you enjoy that.  
  
Bluejello ~ hee, so any guesses on who my villians are. One package of mint oreos says you can't guess. hee hee. Okay, bad, no beting with the nice reviewer.  
  
Codie ~ I understand evil computers. For instance, mine has decided that I not not have the authority to look at my e-mail. grr. Anyways, one update, just for you.  
  
SJ ~ you can have the chapter only if you review. ;)  
  
Silver Dragonfly ~ yea, that chapter was mostly a lot of little details to let you know more about the scout's lives. I was worried people wouldn't find them interesting but thanx for the wonderful feedback.  
  
happygolucky111 ~ Thank you! I lvoe it when I see people put me on their fav lists. I usually try to get around to reading their stuff but life is super crazy so don't hate me if you don't hear from me. Anyway, I really hope you like this chapter. It was a little shorter than I like.  
  
RKRBirdgirl ~ hee hee. Thanks for the enthusiasm there.  
  
princessserena66 ~hee, sorry. No one actually got sent a note when I put that last chapter up. I was too pressed for time and never got around to it. But I promise to this time.  
  
Kaji ~ *walks over and silently hands you a cookie* shhhh. *whisper* you get two more cookies for figuring out the other two. *looks aroung at the other reviewers* but don't tell them, okay. *in louder voice* Nothing to see here, go on reading. Nothing interesting going on here. 


	14. Villians revealed

Deep in a cavern a man stooda silent vigil, hungrily watching an equaly silent and unmoving woman.  
  
He stood outside the circle and watched his love perform the ritual that might save them all. He watched her as she poured all of herself into the weapon. And he knew that soon, if she was forced to continue much longer, she would make a mistake, her exhaustion catching up with her, and that mistake would cost her her life. So he stood vigil, helpless, outside of the circle in which she worked.  
  
He could remember exactly how they had met. And yet, somehow he had always known her. Somehow. She was a part of him, the other half of his soul.  
  
When he had first come to the Negaverse, his past had been a complete blank, but she had been there from that first moment, laying next to him. She had been watching over him, taking care of him when he was helpless. He remembered just staring at her, in complete awe of the woman that lay next to him, having collapsed there from exhaustion. Her beautiful hair, tied into two long tails down her back, and the form fitting dress had captivated him.  
  
When he was being honest with himself, he knew that the so called Wiseman had lied to both of them. Years of living with that person had taught him not to trust anything he said. But the Wiseman had still been his only link to the past. His only link to her.  
  
And so he clung to the things that the Wiseman had told them. He believed what he had been told of how he had been helping the Wiseman to fight against the tyranny of Queen Serenity in Crystal Tokyo and how during one of the battles, the Queen's special guard had attacked them and the result of that battle had been the loss of both of their memories. He had doubted that until he had watched as Sailor Moon's power ripped through the Wiseman's armies of demons, eventually hitting the Wiseman himself. Wiseman had linked himself to his demon's, determined to defeat Sailor Moon once and for all with this all out attack. That link had cost him his life while the snake Rubeus had been able to survive, ruthlessly sacrificing the lives of the four sisters to hold off Sailor Moon's attack.  
  
He and his love had survived by combining their energies to form a barrier between them and the blast. Their barrier had been what had saved the few demons that had managed to escape back to them. But it had cost them dearly to do so and when they had recovered, they had been horrified at the destruction all around them.  
  
They had spent the next several months trying to figure out what to do. The Wiseman had mentioned allies in the future but only Rubeus knew who they were and he was unable to contact them. They knew that sooner or later Sailor Moon would find them and try to kill them again, so they had to find a way to fight her. And it was his love that had found the reference to the Dark Crystal in an old tome of the Wiseman's. But it had required them to gather energy from human's again, risking fighting with Sailor Moon again. But they had decided that it was their only course.  
  
And then, if they could defeat Sailor Moon, they had a chance to prevent Queen Serenity from taking control of this world in the future.  
  
He sighed and focused his thoughts on his love again. He remembered how she had been so angry when he had first talked to her. She had hated the world and had wanted revenge for all her pain. He had been the only one who had been able to make her smile and slowly he had been able to erase some of her bitterness. He knew that to others she still appeared as a cold and cruel woman, but when she was with him, when they were alone, he saw a light in her, a spirit that he had fallen in love with before he had even understood what it was to love.  
  
He had given her the nickname Little Lady, referring to how short she was compared to himself. She hated it. And that's why he called her that. She was so beautiful with her eyes flashing in frustrated anger, her hair twirling around her as she whirled around to glare at him after he had said it. And he loved to get into arguments with her, her sharp wit and sharper tongue always challenging him to keep up with her.  
  
And now, in order for them to be safe, she endangered herself. For them to finally know peace, they ran towards battle. The irony of their lives was not lost on him.  
  
And still...  
  
There was something that he still distrusted about this whole situation. There was something that the Wiseman had always hid from the two of them. The stories he had told of their pasts had always rung false and yet, he could never figure out what the truth was.  
  
He knew that she still hid parts of her past from him. Her own reasons for fighting along side Wiseman. Pain filled memories that he knew, someday, she would tell him if she could. But for right now...  
  
His attention was brought back from the past with a snap as he saw Rubius standing in the doorway, smirking.  
  
"What?" he growled at this unwelcome intruder.  
  
"Nothing, just checking to see if you were still alive." Rubeus said, turning and leaving Helios and Rini alone again.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Rubeus smirked as he left the pair in their cave. He was the only one who knew the truth anymore, the truth about those two. After all, he had been the one who had captured Queen Serenity's daughter and delivered her to the Wiseman. And Helios had apparently come to try and save her. Rubeus didn't understand exactly who the man was but the Wiseman had said that he was some kind of guardian and brainwashing him to join their side was something really special. Something about this man having access to some mirror.  
  
Rubeus didn't really give a damn who he was. All he knew was that those two were a pain to deal with. The Wiseman had had difficulties corrupting the man's mind and Helios had been able to reverse some of Rini's corruption in a way that had baffled the Wiseman. And now those two seemed to think that Rubeus was working for them. Well, he'd show them. Once he figured out the identity of Sailor Moon, he would destroy her himself without their precious crystal. And then, after that pair had exhausted themselves to create the weapon, he would kill them and take it for himself.  
  
It wouldn't be long now. There was no one left to stand in his way. Even Diamond couldn't touch him. That arrogant little prince hadn't even been born yet in this time.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena stood outside, her head thrown back and eyes closed so that she could bathe in the light of the moon. A slight breeze caused the leaves to rattle on the trees surrounding Rei's shrine and the sound of insects provided a soothing white noise. She wasn't thinking about anything, allowing her mind to grow peacefully blank for the first time in days. All of her worries and fears were shoved off to the side for the moment so that she could enjoy this perfect night.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ami smiled up at the sky. There was something about seeing the moon, even during the day that comforted and inspired her.  
  
Shaking herself out of her reverie, she turned to the man walking beside her and smiled before loading him down with all her books. After all, what good was a boyfriend if you couldn't get him to do all your heavy lifting.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Zoicite grunted as twenty pounds of books were thrust at him and with a resigned, pitiful sigh, shifted to add them to his own stack of books. Someday he'd get her back for all the work she made him do.  
  
Someday soon he thought, thinking about his plan.  
  
* * * * *  
  
In an alley, a woman stretched and groaned, feeling muscels pop all over her body as she finally got out of work. At least the night had been fairly quiet. Waving to a couple of her employees, she headed home.  
  
Glanceing at the night sky she picked out the moon and then the planet Jupiter. She smiled as she thought of her old teachers drilling the planets and constellations into her head.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Momentarily, the sitting figure heard the angry voice of her love, her concentration split for a mere second. But that second allowed some of the energy, the smallest minute fraction to twist and warp out of her control, curling up into a tight coil inside of the crystal. But the woman was too tired by now to deal with it immediately and decided to allow the slight imperfection to remain until she was stronger.  
  
So more and more energy was forced to obey the woman's command, being shoved again and again into the crystal she was making. This new energy slowly covered the slight imperfection until it was unnoticeable and eventually the creator forgot about its existence.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Darien woke up and looked around for Serena. After a momentary heart attack at finding her missing he saw her outside and padded silently outside. He slid his arms around her from behind and rested his chin on top of her head, sharing in the moonlight with her.  
  
Together, the two figures stood in silence, waiting for the dawn.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A/N Sorry thes things take me so long to write. A there's a brief Lita teaser so people don't kill me. Soon. I swear. Oh! For all those who are confused, Helios is from Erusion and it the protector of people's dreams, and guard the Golden Crystal (ooh, ooh! crystal theme! ahem. sorry) in the anime, for all those people who have no clue. He appears as Pegasus and was attracted to Rini during Super S. Yes, I am pulling characters from different Seasons but I figured, so much time has passed and the timeline is screwed up by Serena not awakening the scouts. This means Sailor Moon has never met Rini and has no clue that she is her daughter in this fic.  
  
So...do you like? The other options for the villains were Allen and Ann, Prince Diamond and Rini, or someone completely made up. If you REALLY hate it...um...let me know. Okay, going to go hide in a corner now.  
  
Kaji - consider your self added to my update list. Hee hee. Yea, a lot of people like the mushy stuff. I try to add a little in most chapters so people don't forget about those two.  
  
Gizelle - I wish I'd update sooner too. Trust me. I try though. There is just this evil scedual that kicks my butt all too often.  
  
happygolucky111 - I usually try to make the chapters about 5 pages. But that's just me. And it's not a firm rule because sometimes I get to points were it is a perfect ending point. And the Lita spoiler is for you!  
  
Bluejello - I hope you like the villians. Here. You can have a girl scout cookie. I stole them from my mommy over spring break.  
  
Salestine - thanks! Compliments, I love them.  
  
MoonWonderer - yep, it's villian time. So what did you think? Yea, nay, Denial needs to re-learn how to write? hee hee.  
  
lill_one - lol. A rhymes are appreciated. I'm so glad you found my story an liked it.  
  
Mercurial - *sigh* Someday I will be able to update with some sembliance of speed. I swear.  
  
Sele - hmm...I'm thinking Pluto will be a must at the very least and Lita is coming soon.  
  
neoqueen - woo hoo! I love readers like you. You don't make me feel so bad about updating so slowly. hee hee  
  
Codie - a strawberry fruizle? That sounds great. hmm....I don't NEED to do hw right now...strawberry fruizle run!  
  
lazzykane - I put Lita in! *dances around in a circle* Oh, you probably meant in like a *significant* way, huh? I'm working on it!  
  
Adyen - all the generals are alive...I think. And I have no clue how everything is going to work out. I'm having too much fun digging the hole to figure out how to get out of it. Hmm...that might actually be a problem...Naw!  
  
Venus Smurf - HI! Okay. Seriously. I swear I'm going to review your story. I love it too much. It is like this reward that I allow myself for studying. *sigh* But do I ever hit the 'review' button? nooo. *hangs head in shame*  
  
Ginny_Star - this was a lot about my villians. I'll try and fill in background info on the generals as the story goes along. Basically, all you really need to know is that they were in love with the scouts on the moon and then Beryl brainwashed them, causing them to turn against the scouts. Hope that helps.  
  
Silver Dragonfly - damn! That is one of the most poetic reviews I have ever gotten. Thank you soooooo much. It really made my day.  
  
BenRG - lol. Don't take much of what I say too seriously. About the teleports, I love it when people ask questions and point out little errors in my stories. It helps me make things better and to be perfectly honest, I had never thought about the individual teleport thing before. Anyways, thanks for still reading this. I feel like it is getting really long and will only get longer. I'm suprised some of my readers haven't given up on me.  
  
Marni - only a little Generals tid-bit in here but I hope you liked this chapter anyways! 


	15. Plans

The next day found three women, one dark haired man and two cats sitting outside one a the front steps of a temple. All around them were cherry blossom trees, swaying lightly in the breeze under a perfect blue sky. And up above, on the temple roof, two ravens watched everything.  
  
"We've said pretty much all there is to say." Artemis finally said, looking at the group.  
  
"Yeah. But that doesn't mean we know what to do." Rei snapped, her frustration with the situation apparent to all there.  
  
"We need more information. Which means..." Serena looked at her friends.  
  
"We go to Germany." Mina finished the sentence for her.  
  
"I'm all for going right now. The sooner the better." Rei said, standing up as if she were going to leave them all behind if the took another second.  
  
Darien sighed and looked up at the dark-haired scout, "At least let us pack first."  
  
After another few minutes of discussion, the group agreed to meet back at the temple in two hours, giving everyone plenty of time to make their excuses and pack.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Hey, mind if I just grab some of the stuff I've got stashed at your place? It's closer." Darien asked, looking at Serena as they left Rei's temple.  
  
"You need to ask?" Serena said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Moron."  
  
"Meatball-head." Darien retorted, trying desperately to keep from grinning. He had missed talking to her while in the States.  
  
"Jerk!" Serena yelled, her eyes flashing playfully in anger.  
  
"Klutz."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Rei hadn't actually have that much to pack and decided to do a quick fire reading. Maybe they could get some answers this way.  
  
She settled herself down in front of the sacred fire and began to concentrate. Slowly, after several minutes, pictures formed and began to move. Their speed kept on increasing until Rei was only able to glimpse a few details. She saw mostly faces, faces of people she both knew and those she didn't recognize. Feelings of hope and despair, anger, betrayal, love and joy swept over her as fast as the pictures themselves. Finally, everything stopped, leaving her as confused and frustrated as ever. Only one thing had been clear.  
  
Something big was happening.  
  
And they were running out of time.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Mina teleported to her London home and pulled out a small duffel bag from under her bed, digging through clothes and shoes to get to it. Once it was open on her bed, Mina grabbed her cell phone and called Alex. As she waited for him to answer, she continued walking around to different dressers and her closet, throwing the things she wanted to bring in the general direction of her bag.  
  
"Hey Alex, it's me. ... Yea, I know. ... Really? That's great. ... Actually, I have a sort of emergency right now. ... No! Not a shoe type emergency! A real type emergency. ... I know I said a shoe emergency was a real type emergency last time ... Look, I need you to finish everything up there. ... Alex, don't make me tell that red-head your dating about ... See, I knew you do this for me! You're so awesome. ... Okay, I've got to run. ... Yep, tell ya all about it later ...Yes, shoes and everything ...Bye!"  
  
She clicked off her phone and threw a few last remaining things in her bag and zipped it up. Checking her watch she saw that she still had plenty of time as she grabbed her keys to lock up.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Once everyone was gathered together again, they all teleported together into the alley that Serena had used before. From there they checked into a local hotel, Rei's German far more fluent than Serena's had ever been.  
  
"Let's split up." Serena said once they were all settled in, "Rei, Artemis and Darien, you three see if you can track down Zoicite. Luna, Mina and I will find Ami. Don't attack him Rei. I want to know if he remembers who he is or not."  
  
Rei glared at her princess for a moment before nodding and heading out the door with the other two members of her group. She knew they needed information. She knew Serena was right. But that didn't mean that she had to like it.  
  
Mina watched the others leave before turning to Serena, "Are you sure that sending Pyro to find Zoicite was the right thing to do?"  
  
Serena looked after where her friend had headed out, "I trust her." Shaking her head as if to clear it, she looked at Mina, "Rei knows this is important and she won't screw it up. Besides, she's got Darien and Artemis with her to do damage control."  
  
Mina laughed, "Alright. We better head out then too. Where do we start?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Zoicite sat in the back of a large lecture hall and thought about his plan. It was perfect. Everything was ready and had been planned out.  
  
He pulled out a small ring and looked at it critically. He wondered if he really should have gotten the traditional band and stone like the guy at the jewelry store had suggested. But this had somehow seemed more appropriate, more meaningful.  
  
He was still amazed that he had actually been able to find a rock that match Ami's eyes. The band was a play on his name that he knew Ami would understand immediately and would appreciate. But the zoicite did give a darker feeling to the ring.  
  
He sighed as he re-pocketed the ring. He knew he was going to give it to Ami someday, and he had made a thousand plans for how to do it but every time he tried something stopped him. It was like he was being torn apart, one part of him urging him to give the ring to her now, before anything happened to take her away from him, while another part held him back, almost as if he knew that giving her the ring right now would be...arg! He didn't know!  
  
All that he knew was that he needed Ami in his life. He had known that she was the one from the moment he had first set eyes on her. And he was sick of all these silly, stupid feelings that something was going to jump out of the shadows and steal her away.  
  
He was just being irrational.  
  
This time he wasn't giving himself a chance to back out.  
  
In two days, he swore to himself. In two days.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena and Mina, carrying Luna, walked up to Ami's house. This time there was no one lounging on the front porch to greet them.  
  
"Okay, one last time, what's the story?" Mina asked as they walked towards the front door.  
  
"We're keeping it simple. You two went to the same high school as she did and are new here. You were hoping Ami could help you get oriented." Luna said.  
  
Mina nodded and knocked on the door.  
  
After a few tense moments, a very disheveled woman opened the door and blinked sleepily at them.  
  
Mina immediately introduced herself and asked if Ami was there, or at least that was what Serena thought she was saying. In any case, the end result was the girl at the door turning around and yelling into the house.  
  
Moments later Ami appeared at the door, a curious expression on her face, while the other girl disappeared back into the house.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ami looked at the two girls in front of her. She had actually expected it to be Zoi. Not many other people came looking for her at her house, at least not unexpectedly.  
  
Both girls were blonde, while the one with the weird pig-tails had a cat sitting on her shoulder the other one had a red ribbon braided into her hair. The other one introduced them as Mina and Serena. While Mina was talking a mile a minute, the other girl seemed to stand a little ways back and just quietly listen.  
  
Well, that was no wonder. Mina was talking so fast and enthusiastically that no one else would have stood a chance at trying to get a word in. When they explained that they were from Ami's old high school, Ami remembered something her mother had called about. Maybe she had misunderstood. Maybe this had been what was meant. Not a high school reunion but a couple old classmates looking for her help while they were new in town. That made more sense to her.  
  
Finally, it seemed like Mina was winding down.  
  
"So, it would be great if you could help us find our way around. We are so lost. Everything is really different and neither of us familiar with Germany at all. Oh, and do you mind if we talk in Japanese from now on. Serena's German isn't too good. Actually, it's horrible. Don't tell her I said that okay? Anyways, will you take us around? Please? I'll love you forever and ever."  
  
It took Ami a second to realize that the human ball of energy in front of her had stopped talking and another couple seconds for her brain to finally catch up and process everything.  
  
"Um...sure. I really should be studying but..." Ami said hesitantly, switching to Japanese for the benefit of the other girl.  
  
"Great!" Mina cheered, and Ami couldn't help but smile as Mina swung around towards Serena and held up two fingers, forming a 'V'.  
  
Ami could have sworn that for a second she saw the cat on Serena's shoulder shakes it's head.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Deep in the shadows a shadow separated its self and, after one last glance at the pair of girls it had been following, disappeared.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Darien watched Rei as she charged ahead and shook his head.  
  
"Rei!" he yelled, managing to get her attention.  
  
"What?" she asked, managing not to snap at him as she stopped walking.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
Rei opened her mouth to retort and then realized she had no clue. They didn't know anything about where to find Zoicite or even how to start looking. Looking around madly she saw a university library and smiled as an idea hit her.  
  
"We're going in here!" she said pointing, "First order of business, figure out that guy's last name."  
  
After a hour of searching through the schools directory they were able to find not only Zoicite's last name, Itsu, but his phone number, address and class schedule. Apparently the guy was here on some sort of outstanding scholar award and was studying in the school of Medicine.  
  
The three then put their heads together to plan out their next move.  
  
"Well, he supposedly has class right now. We could go follow him after he leaves class." Darien suggested.  
  
"We could also go check out his place, since we know he isn't there right now." Rei suggested.  
  
Darien thought about it for a second, "I'm not sure. It might be hard to find him later. But I can see where we might find more interesting things at his apartment. What do you think Artemis?"  
  
Artemis looked at the two of them. "Let's find Zoicite first and try and figure out who's side he's on first. Then we can try breaking into his apartment."  
  
"Rei?" Darien asked.  
  
"Sounds fine to me." Rei nodded.  
  
Darien breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like the fiery priestess had calmed down. He could tell that she was still angry but she was thinking now as well. She was like a little sister to him and he hated seeing her in pain. And she was. Rei had always masked her feelings with anger. The way she constantly yelled at Serena some days was just Rei's way of showing how much she cared. He had also heard Serena complain about Rei enough times he knew, in a way, it was because Serena respected the other girl so much. And if he were to guess, the reason those two fought so much wasn't because they hated each other, but because they cared so much about each other. But she also masked pain and hurt with anger too and Jadeite's betrayal had hurt her deeply. And now those old wounds had been ripped open anew.  
  
Maybe they could finally be healed?  
  
* * * * *  
  
Rubeus listened in delight as the dark demon in front of him reported.  
  
"And you were able to tract their energy signature back to it's origin?" he asked.  
  
"Yes master. I originated in one of the temples in Japan."  
  
"Wonderful. I want you to go back to watching the blondes. One of them is Sailor Moon. I know it. You and you!" he said pointing to two other demons crouching against the wall, "One of you watch this shrine while the other finds the other three that teleported from Japan to Germany."  
  
The red haired man chuckled as the monsters under his control scampered off. His net was slowly contracting around Sailor Moon and soon he would have her. He wouldn't make the same mistakes everyone else had made. This time around he had no intention of fighting Sailor Moon.  
  
No. This time he would kill her. And he would never even give her a chance to fight.  
  
Rubeus pulled the hood of his cloak up once again and wandered off, deeper into the maze of caverns, lost in thought.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hey! I know, you are probably shocked that it didn't take me a month to get this out to you. Actually, this chapter is in honor of a severe allergic reaction that caused a professor of mine to cancel class. I was thinking about holding it for a week but...I'm impatient and I owe all the wonderful people who read my stuff something to make up for all the times I take forever to get out a chapter. Anyways...is there anything else? Oh yea! I've been trying to figure out about how much time has passed in this story since I began it. I'm going to say about 6 months but if anyone thinks otherwise, drop me a note.  
  
And on to my wonderful reviewers!  
  
Adyen - I know. Well, this is my thinking. Allen and Ann probably took Serena alone a while to get rid of and after them came Rini, who she never saw because she was never on that walk with Darien. And it was usually the other scouts, like Ami and Rei, who figured out where the big bads were based, not Serena. It's only been about 4 years (I think that's what I wrote) so Serena was about 18 when this fic started. Figure two of those years she was fighting Allen and Ann, about 6 months to a year of nothing much as the bad guys chase around Rini. Then another year or so of fighting off and on, never making any real head way. In the first chapter I think I mentioned like two months of no fighting what so ever. That doesn't mean there were no attacks, just none that she ever got to in time to stop them or know about them. Does that make sense?  
  
SJ - lol! You review, and I write! Hope ya like. hee hee.  
  
princessserenadreamsforever - lol. Well, I never saw a review for chapter 13 so you don't get mentioned. Though if you did review, I blame ff.net. They are eviler than my villains some times. I thought about making up my own villains but I wanted to try and see if I could play with already made characters. Besides, I like evil Rini.  
  
Lauren - thank you! I really glad yo found and liked my story so far.  
  
jupitergreen12 - woo hoo! new readers! yea! Oh, and you have wonderful taste, BTW. I was checking out your fav. stories on ff.net and I had a great time reading some of them.  
  
BenRG - evil laughter mwa ha ha. You fell for my 'make everyone think he's a bad guy type thingy'. (lol. Sorry, lots of caffeine in the system makes certain authors revert back to their two year old stage) Seriously. You have become one of those reviewers that I pay a lot of attention to and I just wanted to say thanks again for reviewing. I'm trying to keep things semi-original but it's hard since so many people have written Sailor Moon stories. So thanks for the originality bonus point! 


	16. Mercury Memories pt I

Rei and Darien checked out Zoicite's apartment. After checking things out to make sure the place was empty, Darien and Rei jumped up to the sixth floor balcony. No one ever locked their balcony doors on the sixth floor.  
  
Which is silly, Darien thought, because you never know when a couple of super heroes are going to break into your apartment.  
  
They snooped around for several minutes, neither one really knowing what they were looking for. In truth, Darien admitted to himself, short of finding a detailed book outlining Zoicite's plans, he wasn't quite sure that he would be able to recognize a clue when he saw it.  
  
Actually, that gave him an idea.  
  
"Hey Rei! Any chance this guy keeps a journal?" Darien shouted to where Rei was looking around in the living room area.  
  
"I don't know. If I see one I'll give a shout." Rei said as she continued to go through the mail sitting on a coffee table.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Rei shuffled through the magazines and letters that were on the table in Zoicite's living room. There wasn't much there. A couple bills, some advertisements for local resturants and a campus news letter. Nothing that would help her understand what was going on.  
  
She looked over at the trash can and rolled her eyes.  
  
There were times when she knew that Serena sent her on missions like this on purpose.  
  
At the first sign of something soft and squishy though and it was going to be Darien looking in the trash cans.  
  
* * * * *  
  
After nearly a half an hour of playing detective Rei and Darien admitted defeat. They couldn't find anything to prove one way or another that Zoicite remembered who he was. The journal idea had been a good one but, if he kept one, they couldn't find it.  
  
Outside they heard Artemis meowing. That was the sign that someone was coming. Quickly shoving everything back into roughly the same place they had found it, Rei and Darien ran out onto the balcony. As they jumped over the side Darien heard a key siding into the apartment door's lock.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena smiled at her blue haired friend as they walked around campus. She had changed a lot over the years, gaining a confidence that had not been there before. Ami had always been the smart one but she had always been quiet and shy, unsure of herself around people she didn't know very well.  
  
But now she was different. Serena wasn't sure quite how to put it. Her friend was still quiet but she had lost the shyness. The quietness was now stemming from some sort of inner strength. The strength had always been there but it was like she had finally accepted it, and herself.  
  
Serena couldn't help but wonder if this new confidence and strength was in part because of Zoicite. The man had had a similar effect of the princess of Mercury once before. And if that were the truth, what kind of effect would it have on her to remember that old betrayal. What kind of affect would it have on her to face that betrayal possibly happening again?  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ami, Mina and Serena all were headed back to Ami's house. Once they got there, Serena and Mina shared a quick glance at one another before Serena turned to Ami.  
  
"Could I use your bathroom, please?" she asked.  
  
"Sure. It's upstairs on the right. Just ignore the mess." Ami replied, smiling.  
  
"I'm going too!" Mina announced, running up the stairs after Serena.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ami watched as the two girls headed upstairs towards the bathroom and decided to check the messages on the answering machine. In this house, there were always messages for someone. Study groups, friends, parents and boyfriends of six girls ensured that.  
  
Ami looked around for a pen to write down the messages on the answering machine. Of course there wasn't a pen anywhere near the answering machine. That would be too easy. And in this house, anything that was bolted down, and even some things that were, had a tendency to disappear. Something as small and innocent as a pen next to the answering machine never stood a chance.  
  
After looking around Ami noticed, sticking out of the pocket of Serena's bag, was a blue pen. Ami didn't think that Serena would mind so she grabbed the pen, and pulled off the cap.  
  
And her world exploded around her.  
  
Images of ice and battles burst into her head. She saw Serena, the girl she had just met, and Mina as they once were. She saw the other Scouts and watched battles that overlapped in her head, battles that occured both on the Moon, Mercury and Earth. She saw beautiful balls and the ice covered plains of her home planet, gleaming a thousand colors in the morning sun.  
  
She felt the pain of her own death. The cold feel of the blade between her ribs nothing compared to the ice in her heart that encased it at the sight of the man at the other end of the sword.  
  
Zoicite.  
  
Ami gave a muffled whimper as memories of pain and betrayal mixed with old and new memories of love and joy. Each set warring with the other, tearing apart her fragile reality.  
  
It was too much. Too much to handle. Too much to understand. So her mind, to protect her, focused on one thing.  
  
She had to get out of the house. Now.  
  
Numb fingers let the blue pen slip from her hands as she grabbed her keys and ran out the door.  
  
Away. She had to get away.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So. What are we going to do?" Mina asked as soon as they were in the bathroom.  
  
"I don't know. We have to wait until the others come back. Maybe they found out something we can use." Serena said with a sigh, leaning against the door.  
  
Luna looked up at the pair from her place on the floor, "She has to know. You can not leave her without her memories in the arms of that man."  
  
"But what if he's not evil, Luna?" Serena asked.  
  
"What if he is? Are you willing to leave your friend unprepared for a possible betrayal?" Luna asked.  
  
Serena looked down at the small black cat at her feet. She knew that Luna and Artemis, as their guardians, had taken the generals betrayal just as hard as the scouts. They had seemed to blame themselves for not being able to protect their charges from the pain that their one time lovers had inflicted upon them.  
  
Serena sighed, "Lets wait till we talk to the others before making any decisions."  
  
"Agreed." Mina said, nodding.  
  
"Okay then. Now. Everybody out of the bathroom. Because I really do have to go here." Serena said, pushing the pair out and locking the door.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena, Mina and Luna all came down the stairs and looked around for their blue haired friend.  
  
"Ami?" Mina called, getting no response.  
  
"Oh my god! Serena! Look." Luna said, jumping towards something laying on the ground.  
  
"Oh no." Serena said softly as she saw what Luna was pointing at.  
  
"What? What is...Shit." Mina said, looking down at the floor.  
  
There, laying innocently on the carpet was a small blue pen with the emblem of Mercury on it, opened and in two pieces.  
  
"We've got to find her." Serena said.  
  
"I'll call the others and tell them to look too. We'll cover more ground that way." Mina said, pulling out her cell phone.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ami ran without even really thinking about where she was going. All her mind was focusing on right now was getting away. Eventually though, the pain in her side finally began to register and she slowed down to a walk. She glanced around as was amazed to find how far she had run. She had left campus and in a small residential neighborhood. Up ahead was a playground where several children were running around, enjoying the freedom from their parents and teachers.  
  
Ami sat down on a bench and watched as a couple of the kids played tag. Now that her body had finally stopped moving, her mind began to slowly start shifting through the new memories.  
  
She was a princess of the planet Mercury, one of the sworn protectors of the Moon Princess.  
  
That got her to smile. What little girl didn't dream of growing up and finding out that you were really a princess. Ami gave a choked laugh. Hell, she even had a prince. Or rather, a general.  
  
Oh god. Zoicite.  
  
He was alive.  
  
Well no duh, Sherlock, she told herself sarcastically, you've only been dating him for how long now?  
  
But he had been killed, right? Malachite, when they had been fighting, had said that Beryl had killed him, right? Why was he alive now? Were the other generals alive as well? Was Beryl still alive? Was he still under Beryl's control or was he finally free from the spell that she had put on him so long ago?  
  
She shook her head. This was getting her no where. Those were questions that she couldn't answer so there was no point asking them right now. She had to find someone else who could answer them for her. Like Serena.  
  
The Moon Princess. Her Princess.  
  
Serena had come and found her. With Mina and Luna. They had found her after all these years. Were the others with them or were they the only ones?  
  
No! She practically screamed. No more questions right now. Focus on what you know. Serena and Mina were alive and had come looking for her. That meant that they needed her, they needed Sailor Mercury. She had to go back then. If they needed her, then she couldn't run away from them. They were her friends. And they were the only ones who could answer all the questions that were running through her head.  
  
And Zoicite?  
  
Ami stood up and began walking back towards campus.  
  
She didn't know what to do about Zoicite. If he was still under Beryl's command, she wasn't sure that she could fight him again, not after having been with him again on Earth. The last time they had fought, her memory had still been blocked by Queen Serenity and she had never known who she was fighting.  
  
But back on the Moon she had known. And she remembered once again here on Earth.  
  
And if he wasn't under Beryl's control? If he didn't remember anything of their past either? Could she still be with him? Could she walk away from him?  
  
Ami continued to walk, her feet dragging her slowly closer to her campus, her past and her future.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Yay! Woo hoo! I wrote another chapter! Go me! hee hee. Sorry, it's 3am. I just have been feeling bad about not getting this out to you guys sooner so I decided to finish it.  
  
Adrial - Yea, I am a horrible author. I make my readers, the coolest people ever, wait for new chapters. But hey, I try to get them out eventually.  
  
Lil-PrincessK - hee hee. Thanks! I'm not sure I'll thank my English prof for going to the hospital but maybe I can find more things that she is allergic to. j/k!  
  
happygolucky111 - I'm working on it. Jupiter is coming. She is going to being kicking ass soon. I swear.  
  
Kaji - hey! I know all about the evaporating reviews. *sigh* Stupid ff.net. Ah well. And thank you! I'm really glad you still like this.  
  
Sailor C - Thanks for the review and I hope you like this part too!  
  
Silver Dragonfly - lol! Yeppers. Right now I am planning on the generals being good. But  
  
PrincessSerenaDrEaMsFoReVeR - hi! I think I'm going to play with the villians I have for right now. If I decide I hate them later then I'll do some rewriting but I want to play with that pair first and see what happens.  
  
Venus Smurf - I am not mock the shoes! I swear. You wanna see my shoe collection? There is no mocking here. hee hee. And don't feel bad about wanting my professor to get sick. You don't seem to be alone there. Anyway, hope you like this. I was trying to think of a new way for Ami to regain her memory and move the story a little faster.  
  
Codie - *hangs head* I swear to you Jupiter is coming. Really. As for Rubeus, well, yea, he thinks...sorta.  
  
MoonWonderer - Well, Zoicite is not going to get a chance to ask before she remembers. Um...but we'll just have to see what happens when those two see each other. I expect yelling and tears. But what do I know? 


	17. Mercury Memories pt II

Ami finally reached campus. She was amazed at how far she had run and allowed herself a moment to think about what she must have had looked like to others, running blindly through the streets. It was amazing no one had stopped her. Then again, maybe someone tried and she never noticed.  
  
When she saw her house come into view she finally stopped. She was so tired and she didn't feel like dealing with any of her roommates right now. And what if Serena and Mina were still there? Why had they not told her who they were right away? Maybe they hadn't been planning on giving her memories back.  
  
She knew she had to face them eventually but right now all she really wanted to do was fall into bed and sleep for the next thousand years.  
  
Suddenly from behind her a pair of arms slid around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides as a masculine voice whispered into her ear, his breath tickling the sensitive skin on her neck. "Mmm. Hot and sweaty. Just the way I like my woman."  
  
"Zoicite!" Ami yelped, struggling to turn around and face him.  
  
A soft chuckle caused her heart to slam into her throat. She wasn't ready for this. She couldn't deal with this. Not right now. Not so soon after...  
  
"Zoicite, let me go!" Ami said, finally pulling free of his embrace.  
  
And suddenly she was facing him. The man she had loved for a millennia, the man who had killed her and her friends once, and the man she had helped kill.  
  
And he still had the cutest dimple ever.  
  
Focus, Ami, focus she told herself but it was like the brain that she could always rely on in the past had just deserted her and all she could do was stare.  
  
"Ames? Are you okay?" Zoicite asked, looking at her rather strangely.  
  
"Um...yea. I'm just...feeling a little sick." Ami ended weakly, just wishing that he would go away.  
  
Zoicite reached over and place a hand on her forehead, "Well, you do seem a little hot. You should go to bed and rest. And no homework! It's not like you aren't ahead in your classes anyways. I'll just take your books to make sure."  
  
Zoicite pushed her into her house while he was talking and into her room. He pushed her onto her bed and grabbed her bag, overflowing with papers and text books, throwing it over his shoulder.  
  
"You can come get this when your feeling better."  
  
"But..."  
  
"But nothing. Go to bed." he said with a gentle push, causing her to topple over onto her bed. After taking off her shoes and pulling the covers over her, he gave her a kiss on the forehead and closed her door.  
  
"Damn him." Ami muttered, seeing the suspiciously self-satisfied look of her boyfriend's face as he left. For a second she fumed, forgetting all about the past and focusing on how Zoicite was the only person in the world who could force her to rest when she was sick. The man simply did not listen once his mind was made up. It was so infuriating. But a small part of her smiled at the way he took care of her.  
  
And sleep claimed her before she could do or think another thing.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Now what?" Mina asked, look around at the other faces surrounding her.  
  
None of them had been able to find Ami and had finally regrouped back at their hotel. Rei and Darien had told everyone about what they had found at Zoicite's apartment and Mina and Serena had filled everyone in on their day with Ami.  
  
"Ami knows the truth. Now, we let her decide. If she wants to talk to us, she knows how to get a hold of us. Mina had given her our phone number here. We'll try calling tomorrow and see if she'll talk to us." Serena said.  
  
"And if she doesn't want to talk to us?" Rei asked quietly.  
  
"If not, I'll leave my home phone number and address with her." Serena said firmly, "I won't force her to talk to us. She's got a lot to deal with right now and if she wants time and space, I'm going to let her have it."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ami woke up and groaned. It felt like all of her muscles had tightened up into one enormous knot. This was why people were supposed to stretch before and after strenuous exercise.  
  
Suddenly a flood of memories from the previous day hit her and she remembered why she hadn't stretched out before her run.  
  
"Oh God. What am I going to do?" she asked the ceiling.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Ami! Telephone!" someone yelled as Ami was finishing getting dressed.  
  
Ami looked at the phone for a second before picking it up. She had a good guess about who was calling her.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Hey Ami." Came a soft voice from the other end.  
  
"Serena."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
That was all it took. All her doubts about Serena fled in the face of the empathy in that one small phrase. The tears that Ami had been holding back suddenly rushed to the surface, breaking all her control. She wept over the phone, curled into a ball on her bed as Serena made soothing noises.  
  
"Serena..." she finally got out as her sobs came under control.  
  
"Can I come over?" Serena asked.  
  
"Yea. Um...Mina can come too."  
  
"How about Rei? I think she'll kill me if she can't come."  
  
That got a weak chuckle from Ami as she heard an outraged voice in the background that could only come from Pyro, "Yea. That sounds good."  
  
"Alright. We'll be there in a few."  
  
Ami hung up and wiped the few remaining tears off her face. She felt better than she had since regaining her memories. Maybe she had been focusing too much on all the bad memories. What about the good ones? And her friends. She had just regained friends that had stood with her during the best and worst parts of her life. Surely getting them back was worth any price.  
  
Zoicite's face flashed briefly in her mind's eye at that thought but she shoved it away, determined to deal with things as they happed and not worry about them before.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena hung up the phone and gave a small smile at all the anxious faces surrounding hers, "We should head over there."  
  
"I think I'll stay here." Darien spoke up from where he was sitting, "Ami needs you guys right now and we were never as close as you all were."  
  
Serena nodded and gave him a hug before picking up Luna. Mina grabbed Artemis followed Serena out the door with Rei. They were quiet for most of the walk there, all of them lost in their own private thoughts.  
  
When the reached the house, Serena rang the bell. It was Ami who answered. For what seemed like an eternity they faced each other. Then, as if by some unspoken cue, Ami and Serena ran towards each other. As they hugged each other, four more arms circled them. Four girls hugged each other, talking excitedly about anything and everything, not really listening to each other in their relief of finally seeing each other.  
  
And two cats were squished into the middle of it all. But they were willing to go without breathing for a little while longer.  
  
* * * * *  
  
For the rest of the day the girls sat in Ami's room talking about what had happened to them over the past few years.  
  
"Where's Lita?" Ami finally asked.  
  
After a moments silence, Serena finally answered, "We don't know."  
  
"So...Why now?" Ami asked, finally broaching the topic that they had all been avoiding.  
  
"There is a new enemy. One I can't fight alone." Serena finally admitted.  
  
"Is it...Is it the general?" Ami asked hesitantly.  
  
"No. We didn't even know they were alive till we saw Zoicite. And he is the only one that we've seen. He might be the only one still alive." Rei said.  
  
"But if he's alive, then we can't afford to assume the others aren't." Luna said.  
  
"But we don't think that they are still under Beryl's control." Mina said, earning a glare from Rei.  
  
" 'We' don't know anything about Zoicite." Rei said, "Darien and I couldn't find anything pointing one way or another."  
  
"Darien?" Ami asked.  
  
"Darien found me. He was the one who finally forced me to admit I need you guys. He...well, he got his memories back without my help." Serena said.  
  
"Yea. He didn't want to come in case you didn't want him here." Mina said.  
  
Ami looked at Serena for a second. She wanted to talk to her about something, but she didn't want to do it with the other scouts in the room. She would have to find a way to get Serena alone.  
  
From there the conversation turned towards the new enemy that they were fighting. Unfortunately, they didn't know much. All they knew was that Serena had hurt them a lot but had not killed the leaders. And now, they seemed to finally be building up strength again. Ami was a little disturbed about how these new monsters seemed be avoiding battles. She could tell that Serena was frustrated by their lack of information.  
  
Almost without thinking, Ami summoned her mini computer to her and began typing in the information that the other scouts were giving her. When she looked up, she saw three grinning humans and two smug cats looking back at her.  
  
"What?" Ami asked suspiciously.  
  
"Welcome back, Ami!"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hey all! Not a lot to say here. This is mostly a detail chapter, not much going on but necessary for everything to make sense. So I'll just get to the part that you are really waiting for.  
  
happygolucky111 - Jupiter is coming. Any suggestions on what her bar should be called? As for Ami and Zoicite, I'll get that in there soon. And mush is coming. Lots of mushy goodness for Ami and Zoicite as well as Darien and Serena.  
  
Lady of Pluto - Thanx for all the help! I'm fixing everything you mentioned with this update. And you made me laugh with your last review there. I'm glad I managed to surprise you with my villains.  
  
Codie - I'm updating as fast as I can. Really. Ami is starting to deal with things in this chapter. Just wait till she tries to deal with Zoicite though. *evil laughter*  
  
MoonWonderer - hee hee. Yes, Ami still loves Zoicite. Wait till she gets a chance to talk to Serena in the next chapter.  
  
Camie - Thanks! Don't worry about reviewing every chapter. I've got like 17 chapters to this monster. Anyways, I'm glad you like it and I hope you keep reading.  
  
BenRG - I've always seen Ami as kind of shy. There was an episode that I keep thinking of as I write this, where Ami is convinced that her friends are just using her. It showed that Ami isn't the most confident person when it comes to matters dealing with people. So I'm trying to show how unsure she is. I just hope that is coming out.  
  
Silver Dragonfly - "Pussle"!?! lol! And then there was "I love it. I mean how good can it be for him to be the only male surrounded by 9 female senshi in incredibly short skirts all the time..." Too true! He needs some other guys to help keep him sane, because everyone knows the scouts aren't. Suddenly I am feeling inspired to write more of this from Darien's POV.  
  
Venus Smurf - Don't worry. I was looking at what I still want to do in this story and suddenly realized I'll be writing for a looonnnggg time. I still can't believe this is chapter 17. *sigh* Ah well. So did you decide if she was going to forgive him? I know what I want to happen but occasionally things don't work out the way I want.  
  
Bluejello - hee hee. umm...I think I'll just have Ami ask him point blank. Wouldn't that be fun?  
  
Gizelle - If I don't continue this, I think there are several people who would track me down and try to kill me. Seriously, some of my reviewers can be down right violent at times. I love them! Hope you like the new stuff as much as the old! 


	18. Conversations

The scouts finally were forced to leave the next day. Mina swore Alex would kill her if she was gone one more day. Darien admitted that people were probably starting to wonder where he had gone. It would be hard to explain how he had gone from being in the U.S. to Japan and then to Germany so quickly.. Rei had to go back and check on the temple. She hated to leave it unattended for too long. Serena had to go to work but promised to come back afterwards. Luna went with Serena and Artemis stayed with Mina.  
  
When they were all gone, Ami felt like it suddenly got quieter in Germany. She had forgotten how much energy and life her friends brought to a room. But she was glad to have some time to herself again. And it looked like she would get a chance to finally talk to Serena alone.  
  
Ami began to look for her bag. She needed to study for her Physical Chemistry class, or P-Chem as it was dubbed. As she looked around she remembered Zoicite taking her bag with him.  
  
She could just go get it. But...She had other things she could do.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Master, we have them."  
  
"Wonderful. Follow them for right now. Learn everything you can and report back to me."  
  
"Yes Master."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena smiled as she ran out of work. She had just enough time to run home and change before she teleported herself back to Germany. She was running late for meeting Ami, but that was nothing new for her.  
  
She skidded to a stop on Ami's front door, millimeters from slamming into it, and knocked once before bouncing on in.  
  
"Ami!" she yelled.  
  
Two of her roommates were in the kitchen and stuck their heads out at the sound of her voice. They shrugged as they saw who it was, one of the new girls Ami had hung out with over the weekend. Ami had mentioned that they were old friends that she hadn't seen in awhile who had surprised her by visiting.  
  
Ami walk out of her room and gave a small smile as she saw Serena.  
  
"Lets go for a walk." Ami suggested, grabbing her coat as she nudged Serena out the door.  
  
"Sure Ames." Serena was all to happy to be outside. It absolutely gorgeous out. Plus, she knew Ami wanted to talk to her privately. It was part of the reason she was here when she knew none of the other scouts could make it. There was something troubling her blue haired friend.  
  
They walked in silence for several minutes. Serena wasn't willing to broach any topic, waiting for Ami instead. Finally the wait paid off.  
  
"Serena? May I ask you something?" A hesitant voice asked.  
  
"Sure. Anything." Serena replied instantly.  
  
"Why...why are you with Darien?"  
  
Serena was floored. Of all the things that she had expected, this wasn't even on the list.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I mean, he betrayed you, didn't he? He joined Beryl and fought against us. He tried to kill you. Why are you with him again?"  
  
Serena glanced at her friend and thought about it for a second before answering.  
  
"I guess because I need him. I tried living without him and it was like there was this huge hole in my life, this void. I mean, I was hurt when he was taken by Beryl but it wasn't like it was his fault. I just...I don't know. I just need him." Serena tried, struggling to put her emotions into words.  
  
"But aren't you afraid that it could happen again?" Ami asked.  
  
"It is one of my worst nightmares."  
  
"Then why risk it? Why did you allow him back into your life if there was a possibility that he could be used against you again?"  
  
"Well...I kind of didn't. Not at first. It took me a long time to be willing to be vulnerable like that again. Those were the years that I was fighting alone. But I couldn't do it anymore. Darien came back and I just couldn't be alone anymore, even if it meant I might get hurt. And I realized something. If you lock yourself away, protect yourself from the possibility of being hurt, you also are protecting yourself from the possibility of being happy." Serena said, looking up at the sky, her gaze turned inward as she finally vocalized all the things she had been feeling for years. "Darien probably deserves better than anything I can ever give him but he is willing to be with me and I can't...I won't turn away from that. It means too much to me not to try."  
  
Ami listened, nodding as she absorbed her princess's words. After several moments silence, she finally asked the question that had been plaguing her.  
  
"And Zoicite?"  
  
Serena looked away from the clouds and sighed, "I don't know Ami. But don't let fear be the thing that makes this decision for you. Whatever you do, I will support you. Just don't let it be fear that rules you."  
  
Ami nodded, understanding but still struggling.  
  
"Have you talked to him at all lately?" Serena asked.  
  
"Sort of. I saw him for a while but I didn't talk much. I didn't know what to say or how to act around him any more. I just don't know who he is and if that is really Zoicite of some monster that is still under Beryl's control."  
  
"Well, you could always ask." Serena said lightly, trying to make her friend smile.  
  
Ami laughed, "Yea, just ask him if he is an evil general who helped destroy the Moon and tried to destroy Earth."  
  
"Well, it would make things easier." Serena said, laughing as she tried to imagine the conversation.  
  
"If he's not, he'll try and get me committed to an insane asylum. Oh God." Ami said, her eyes suddenly widening, "What if he isn't under Beryl's control?"  
  
Serena couldn't help the giggles that erupted at the look on her friend's face. It was like this was the first time she had ever allowed herself to really consider the fact that Zoicite wasn't just using her.  
  
"That's what we want." Serena said, grinning.  
  
"No, I mean, if he's not under her control then he probably doesn't remember anything else either. Can we give him back his memories? Should we?"  
  
Serena frowned, "I don't know if I can reawaken his memories. The memories I awoke in you came from how much I knew about you. It's like the pens I made held all my memories of each of the individual scouts. Since I knew so much about you, all those memories of mine forced your own mind to let down the barrier holding back those memories so that it could make connections. My mother could control what she made people remember or forget but I can't. It was like taking a sledge hammer to do what my mother used to do with a chisel. But I don't know enough about Zoicite to create a sledge hammer for him."  
  
"What about Darien? He was Zoicite's Prince? Could he do it?"  
  
"Maybe. I don't know. I'll ask him if you want me to." Serena said.  
  
Ami stopped and thought for a second. Serena could almost see the thoughts going through her mind. She had finally allowed herself to really consider the fact that Zoicite might not be their enemy. But Serena could tell that her friend still hadn't decided what to do if that happened. Giving him back his memories would probably cause him as much pain as it had Ami.  
  
"Will you ask Darien for me? I'm...I don't know what I want but...I want to know if we can awaken his memories."  
  
"Sure. I'll talk to him tonight." Serena said.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The demon bowed low before Rubeus, "My lord, we have followed the people who went through the alley. One, Serena Tsukino, is believed to be Sailor Moon and lives in an apartment in Tokyo. We think that she is currently contacting one of the other scouts in Germany, though we are unsure as of yet who that scout may be. Rei Hino is the priestess at the temple where we finally tracked many of the energy signatures to. She and Mina Aino, currently in London, are believed to be the two scouts currently with Sailor Moon. The man, Darien Shields, is believed to be Tuxedo Mask and seems to be in some sort of relationship with Sailor Moon."  
  
"What about family?"  
  
"Sailor Moon has yet to be seen with any family though we are still following her. She has returned to Germany alone currently."  
  
Rubeus looked at the demon in front of him and a cruel smile crossed his face, "Find their weaknesses, the things they care about, the people they love. I want to know everything about them. Go."  
  
The demon rose and began to leave. As it reached the door, its master's voice stopped it, "Oh. And I don't want another scout awoke. If that happens, I will personally flay the skin from your body."  
  
* * * * *  
  
After Serena left, Ami went home. On her door was a yellow sticky note.  
  
'If you ever want to see your homework again, meet me for dinner tomorrow night' was scrawled across it in Zoicite's handwriting. She stared at the note. She had to face him, had to talk to him eventually and tomorrow was as good a time as any. Besides, he had her books. How was she supposed to study?  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena sat on the couch, petting Luna and thinking about her conversation with Ami. She had been forced to say things today that she had never really consciously acknowledged before. She was amazed to realize that Darien's betrayal had been one of the things that had caused her to keep everyone at arms distance for so long. She had always told herself that it was because she was protecting them but she had really been protecting herself.  
  
Sure, she knew that Darien hadn't wanted to join Beryl but there was a difference between what she knew logically and what her heart felt. She had felt betrayed and didn't want to risk being betrayed again.  
  
But Darien had found her, had forced her to realize that she couldn't be herself and lock herself away from those she loved. She needed him. She needed her friends. And they were worth risking herself for.  
  
There was a knock at the door. Serena got up curiously. She couldn't think of anyone who was supposed to be coming over. Mina was swamped with all the work that she had let slide, Rei was determined to keep to temple open and running at normal hours again and Darien was back visiting friends in America.  
  
Or he was supposed to be. Instead, he was standing there with a single red rose when she opened the door.  
  
"What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised.  
  
"I missed you." He said, leaning down and kissing her.  
  
Serena pulled back with a smile, "Missed me? It's been less than 24 hours since you last saw me."  
  
"Hmm, seemed like longer." Darien said, sliding the rose behind her ear before leaning over to kiss her again.  
  
They walked into Serena's apartment and settled themselves down on the couch, Serena sitting between Darien's legs with his arms wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her back against his chest.  
  
"As long as you are here, I need to ask you something." Serena said, listening to his heart beat.  
  
"As long as I don't have to move." Darien replied and she could hear the grin in his voice even though she could see his face.  
  
"Could you awaken Zoicite's memories if you had to?"  
  
"What?" Darien asked.  
  
"Ami wants to know."  
  
"Has she decided what she is going to do then?" Darien asked softly.  
  
"I don't think so but she wants to know what her options are." Serena said.  
  
"I think I could do it. But I would need to do it personally. I don't think I could manage the pen thing like you did. I would have to try and pull the memories forward. He would also have to be willing. I couldn't force the memories forward if he didn't want to remember." Darien admitted.  
  
"Hmm...I'll let Ami know that." Serena said, "Now, why are you here?"  
  
"I told you, I missed you." Darien said, chuckling in her ear.  
  
"Missed me? Really?" Serena said, trying to wiggle around so she could see his face.  
  
"Really." Darien said, tightening his hold so she couldn't move, "You don't believe me?"  
  
"No. Not at all." Serena said, valiantly trying to keep from smiling.  
  
"Well then I guess I'll just have to prove it to you." Darien said, his voice sending shivers down Serena's spine as he kissed the back of her neck.  
  
Serena sighed as his hands began to massage her shoulders as he continued to trail kisses down her neck. His hands moved down her back, working the knots out.  
  
"Believe me yet?" Darien whispered in her ear.  
  
"Nope." Serena said, smiling slyly.  
  
"Well then..." Suddenly the hands that were at her back sneaked around to her ribs and began to tickle her. Serena reacted instantly by trying to wiggle away but Darien's legs wrapped around her, holding her in place while he continued to tickle her mercilessly.  
  
"Darien!" she gasped out as she giggled, "Stop!"  
  
"Say you believe me."  
  
"I...I believe you!" Serena managed to get out, still madly trying to break Darien's hold on her.  
  
"Say you love me."  
  
"Darien!" Serena wailed pathetically.  
  
Darien stopped tickling her and leaned over her, looking at her face upside down, with a single eyebrow raised in question, "Yes?"  
  
"Love you." Serena said.  
  
"Good." Darien replied, kissing her nose.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hey all! So so so so sorry it took me this long. I would tell you everything that caused me to not to write but I'm sure none of you care. :p To make it up to you though, after all the little notes to people I put a Lita spoiler for anyone who wants to check it out. It's a BIG spoiler so if you don't want to know yet, don't read. And it is probably going to change slightly when I put up the chapter it goes with.  
  
Alright, here we go...  
  
neoqueen - well, here's the discussion. It's actually something that I was thinking about when I started to introduce the general into this story. Hope you like it!  
  
Codie - a lot of people liked the dimple comment. It just sort of came out as I was writing the chapter and I'm glad it was appreciated. Future chapters will be a little angsty but in the good, happy ending, kinda way. The next chapter will be almost all Ami/Zoicite.  
  
happygolucky111 - hee, actually I have this spoiler written for Lita that I am posting to prove to people that she really is coming in this story. It explains where she is and why she's there. What do you think? hee.  
  
EtrnalRhapsodi - sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry (am I forgiven yet?)  
  
Lady of Pluto - I love it when people review. And I feel the need to respond to some of the things they ask about so...I put little blurps here. Not to mention it gives me a chance to spill some stuff about what is going to happen in future chapters.  
  
Shadow Dragon - thank you! No crying now. I tried to make people smile with these last couple chapters. Mush alsways makes me smile at least. Oh, and I'll get those spelling errors fixed yet!  
  
Bluejello - See what you inspired?!? I just know this is going to come out in the next chapter as well.  
  
Mercurial - Lita is coming and I have a spoiler written for her that I'm putting on the bottom of this chapter just to prove it. Jeesh. Lita fans. They're so demanding. ;) j/k  
  
Sele - Thank you! I'm so glad you like it. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!  
  
Lil-PrincessK - hey, what can I say, Ami and her computer are a classic team.  
  
Silver Dragonfly - Ack. I actually wrote the scene. Now I just need to figure out where to put it. I blame you entirely for this dilemma. And now you are giving me a great flash back idea with Haruka. grrr. Too...many...plot...bunnies...  
  
BenRG - To tell the truth, I can go either way as long as it is written well. But for this story I really wanted to stick with characters from the original story. I thought about using other people but I wanted to try this and see what happens. If I ever write another SM story after this monster I may try a non-general romance. Thanks for still reading though.  
  
Rose Black - okay. You are the whole reason for the last half of this chapter. I never thought about Darien being the one to give back the general's memories. I wasn't sure how I would do it. Thanks for the idea!  
  
Random Reader - San ~ school evil. Finals really evil. no writing during finals. Then there was moving and the no internet and then....ack! Babbling. Must stop. About the character names, it is actually nothing special. I had planned on using the English names (because I like Serena better than Usagi) but for Ami and Rei, that was just the way I thought to spell their names. I didn't even realize they were the Japanese spellings right away. So, thats it. Nothing special, just the author being wierd.  
  
Phantasy Star - ha ha! new reviewer! yea! And hope you like the Serena/Darien mush in this chapter.  
  
JerseyGirl03 - I can't promise anything but I'll write the next chapter sooner. Promise.  
  
PrInCeSsDrEaMyDrEaMs4eVeR4U - patience. answers are coming...I hope.  
  
lazzykane - dilegently typing those answers up for you.  
  
Kaji - Don't worry. I have this bad habit of not updating. (hangs head in shame) But I'm glad you're still reading and still like this.  
  
Usagi Tsukino - If the chapters were longer I'd never get them published. lol. I'll try though. We'll see what happens.  
  
Sailor of Shadow - Glad your still alive and reading! Don't worry, I never espected people to review every chapter. Some are definatly better than others. :)  
  
Steven - ack! Another Lita person! Man there are a lot you you people out there. Maybe I should form a support group for all of you.  
  
Jabba - Yes Sir/Ma'am (whatever).  
  
and last because she wrote so much...  
  
Venus Smurf - THANK YOU!!! OMG! You toally made my day with that review of yours. You are too cool. And I am conspiring madly with fate here to have a happy Zoicite/Ami thing. Not to mention that I hate sad endings (though anyone who has read my Witchblade stories might think otherwise). And I have this thing for stupid, pointless fluff as well. So...my story has moments of fluff. As experianced by this particular chapter. *sigh* And I'm so glad someone likes my humor! It tends to be a little odd at times and I would think my jokes weren't funny if i didn't know better. ;) As for clowns *shudder* There are some evils even I won't approach. And yes, you have set the record for the longest review I've ever gotten. Made me feel special.  
  
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Okay, spoiler starts here...  
  
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Um...don't read if you don't want to know...  
  
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Ooh! And suggesting are always welcome!  
  
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Okay, seriously, here it is.  
  
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* Lita glanced at the clock on the wall.  
  
"Last call people!" she yelled and watched as several people suddenly tried to flag down a bartender or waitress.  
  
She smiled as her people smoothly took the last orders of the night. A commotion in one of the far corners caused her to glance over. Aparently one of her waitresses was refusing to get a guy another drink. And from the look of him, she had the right idea. Before she could head over there, Zak was there, in all his 6'8'', 284 lb glory. Lita was too far to hear what was said but consiodering the man's friends were rather hastily paying their bill, she assumed it was properly intimidating.  
  
That was the only thing that she hated about owning a bar. The drunks. And yee lords above, did you ever get drunks in Scotland. Actually, it was just the violent ones that were a problem. The ones, for example, singing 'No Nay Never' over in the corner along were actually quite entertaining most nights.  
  
As people began to filter out, she had to admit, life was good. It hadn't been what she had planned for herself when she was younger, but it wasn't bad. She had actually orked for a catering company in Tokyo. She had loved it and had almost just sold the bar when she inherited it from her Grandad. She hadn't seen him in years and with her parents gone she had never really felt close to him. But she had decided to fly out and check the place out and had just never quite left. There was something about Scotland that she just loved. The people were wonderful but held a kind of fighting spirit in them that she connected to.  
  
And there was the fact that they loved her cooking.  
  
She didn't cook as much as she wanted to these days but she tried to make something for her employees every once in awhile to say thank you and occasionally she would set out free food for her customers other than the stuff they could order from the kitchen. But most of the time she left the cooking to her chefs and just tried to stay on top of everything else that was going on. 


	19. Confrontations

Ami called him that night. She wasn't about to give herself time to think about what she was doing. The more she thought about things, the less she actually did. So, she was going to deal with this now.  
  
"Hallo!" he answered his phone after two agonizing rings.  
  
"Hey." Ami managed to choke out.  
  
"Ames?"  
  
"Yea...um..."  
  
"Long time, no hear. Finally gave in to the desperate need to hear the sound of my wonderful voice?"  
  
"No. I need..." She began.  
  
"To actually see my exquisite body in person?" She was cheerfully interrupted.  
  
"No! I mean, yes. I need to see you. I need my books back!" Her usual exasperation at his antics once again making her forget her problems momentarily.  
  
"Oh, your books. Riigght. What a convenient excuse."  
  
"You stole them!"  
  
"Didn't put up much of a fight, did you?"  
  
"I was sick and half asleep, you moron."  
  
"Well, if that's the way you want to pretend it was..."  
  
She swore she could hear him grinning, "That was the way it was. Now, are you going to give them back, or do I need to call the cops?"  
  
"Hey now, don't worry. You'll get them back. Jeesh. What some girls will do to see a cute guy."  
  
Ami knew better than to respond at this point. She had got what she wanted. Previous experience taught her that if she continued talking, things would just go downhill fast.  
  
"I'll be there in a half an hour, is that okay?" she asked.  
  
"Oh, aren't we anxious?"  
  
"I'm hanging up now." She said, before slamming the receiver down on any comeback he might have made. She wanted to be mad. She told herself that she was mad at him. But that didn't keep her from grinning stupidly at his antics.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A half an hour later, Ami wasn't smiling. She was standing outside Zoicite's door, trying to bring herself to knock. She was actually hoping that he would open the door magically without her knocking. That would have been nice. But unfortunately, Zoicite seemed to have not gotten that particular memo.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Ami knocked on the door.  
  
And waited.  
  
And waited.  
  
And knocked again.  
  
Where was he? Here she was, using up all her courage to knock on the door and he didn't even have the decency to answer! Damn him! And he knew she was coming. He was supposed to...  
  
The door swung open mid-thought to show a sheepishly grinning Zoicite, "Hey Ames. Sorry, you caught me while I was in the bathroom."  
  
Oh.  
  
The bathroom.  
  
Ami followed him into his apartment and stood awkwardly, trying to think of how to begin as Zoicite fetched her bag and books from the bedroom.  
  
"Can I talk to you?" Ami asked as he handed her her bag.  
  
"Sure. What about?" Zoicite asked, all his earlier teasing gone from his voice.  
  
"I was wondering...do you...Do you remember the past? I mean, like, where you came from?"  
  
Ami felt like hitting her head against the wall. Even she wasn't sure what she was saying.  
  
"My past? What do you mean?" he asked, his brow scrunching up as he tried to figure out what was going on.  
  
"Like five years ago? What were you doing? Where you in school? Where were you living? Were you...I don't know! Were you trying to take over the world?" Ami couldn't believe she had just said that. The urge to beat her head against something increased. Or maybe dig a hole, and hide in it for a millennium.  
  
Zocite chuckled dryly, "Take over the world. I think that's a little ambitious, even for me. What's this about?"  
  
Ami opened her mouth to reply just as a scream echoed through the room from right out side the door.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The demon cursed viciously. It had been following this girl all day and had just materialized outside the door she had gone in when a woman came down the hall and saw him. He lunged at her, but she managed to give off a scream before he sunk his claws into her, draining her energy so that she dropped to the floor.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ami and Zoicite burst through the door together in time to see the woman fall to the floor, a dark grey monster hovering over her, it's long claws dripping blood where they had just been inside her. Red eyes turned towards the pair and Ami cursed as another door opened. A wide eyed man stood staring at the scene.  
  
"Call an ambulance!" Ami yelled at him. He quickly snapped out of shock at the sound of her voice and dashed back into his apartment.  
  
Meanwhile, Zoicite had charged the monster, knocking it away from the woman.  
  
"How dare you?" the thing hissed, a whip of blue crackling energy forming in its hand. The whip snapped out, catching Zoicite in the middle of his chest and leaving a fiery burn deep into his flesh.  
  
"No!" Ami cried, seeing the whip pulled back to strike again.  
  
"You!" the monster's head whipped around towards her and it features twisted into a smile, "I know who you are. I think the time for watching is over. Now, I think, you will die little scout."  
  
Ami stared in horror. It knew she was a scout. How? She hadn't even known up until a few days ago.  
  
Before she could react, the whip came slashing down, slicing through her cheek and across the bridge of her nose. The pain sent little shock waves through her body and she shook herself out of her daze. It didn't matter that the monster knew. Right now she had to fight.  
  
Zoicite was the only other person in the hall way now, everyone else had fled. That was good enough for her.  
  
Within seconds, the Mercury pen was in her hand and she was transformed. The familiar feeling of cool ice filled her, giving her strength and power, soothing away the pain that had blossomed where the whip ha caught her. As the blue faded from her sight, she had only a moment to take in Zoicite's shocked face.  
  
"Mercury Bubble Blast!" She yelled, a heavy mist rising up around her, obscuring vision. Her Mercury visor materialized around her, giving her an infrared view of her surroundings.  
  
She was madly searching for the monster when she heard something behind her. She whirled around and jumped back as crackling blue blades, like the monster's whip, sliced through the air where she had been standing. She ran towards the monster, trying to get in under its guard to attack it. She managed to land a few blows, her body remembering centuries old fighting lessons. But she was out of practice and an unexpected move by the monster brought whip whirling cracking through the space between them to wrap its self around her throat. As she struggled to free herself, it started to contract. She could feel the tender flesh on her throat beginning to blister as her windpipe was slowly crushed.  
  
Then Zoicite was there, once again rushing the monster and distracting it for the few crucial seconds Ami needed to free herself.  
  
"Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" She shouted, a huge bubble of ice shooting out towards the monster and trapping it inside.  
  
"How did you know who I was?" Ami asked the struggling monster.  
  
It looked at her with a glare full of hatred, "We know who you all are. Don't worry, little Mercury. You won't live long enough to see the end of your pathetic little world."  
  
The ice prison began to crack under the force of the monsters struggles.  
  
"Mercury Ice Storm Splash!" Mercury's attack caught it just as it broke free of the ice. With a shrill scream of rage and pain, the monster dissolved into a thick cloud of dark grey smoke which slowly began to dissipate.  
  
Ami sank to the ground breathing heavily. She had gone for over five years without fighting. Now, in less that a half an hour she had used up almost all the energy she had. She hadn't been this tired in a long time.  
  
As the transformation faded away, Ami sighed. She knew she had to get out of there. The police would be here soon and they were bound to have questions she didn't want to answer. But right that second, she couldn't get her body to obey her demands.  
  
And then there was a pair of strong arms around her, lifting her into off the floor and carrying her into Zoicite's apartment. She was carefully laid out on his bed. She was now struggling just to stay awake. The adrenaline rush from the fight was gone and her abused body was demanding that she sleep.  
  
A wet cloth carefully washing her burned neck roused her enough to open her eyes. And she was greeted with the sight of Zoicite's concerned features. His slightly beaten, black and blue features. The monster had apparently not gone down easily the second time he tried to tackle it.  
  
"Have to...get out of...here...police..." she muttered sleepily, struggling momentarily to get up.  
  
"Shh. Don't worry. I'll take care of it. You can explain everything later, okay?" he tried to smile, and winced slightly as it pulled at his bruised lip.  
  
She slowly allowed herself to fall into the welcome arms of sleep.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"What do you mean Shrekonal is dead?" Rubeus asked, the deadly calm of his voice causing the demon in front of him to shiver.  
  
"I'm sorry, my Lord. Apparently he was discovered by the scout he was watching and there was a confrontation."  
  
"Damn you!" Rubeus hissed, "How much do the scouts know because of this?"  
  
"Nothing my lord."  
  
"You had better be right or I shall personally make sure that your death is a long and extremely painful one."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hey all! I'm trying to keep my promise here to update more faithfully. And so I wrote a fight scene. I personally don't think I can't write fights to well, so I try to keep them short. But this is a Sailor Moon fic so I was feeling a fight was over due. Ah well, hope you all like this.  
  
BenRG - no Lita yet. You were right, that last chapter was a lot of filler but I need to write it or the story gets confusing. If nothing else, I have to answer all the questions that I come up with.  
  
SJ - *cowers in fear* I promise!  
  
Linda_ishtar Â  - I'm trying to get stuff out faster this summer. Unfortunately, ff.net fell off the face of the earth there right after I finished this so its a couple days late. Not my fault! hee hee...  
  
Jabba - hey ma'am! Glad you liked that conversation. I've wanted to talk about some of those things in a fic before and I finally got a chance. Woo hoo!  
  
happygolucky111 - A rebirthing party? Hm...that's an idea...I'll see what happens.  
  
lazzykane - Hey! Yea, I'm trying to update more often. The beginning of the summer was just a tad bit nuts. And I'm glad you liked the Lita teaser. It gave away a lot but I was feeling bad for not updating in so long.  
  
Lil-PrincessK - hmm...that could be arranged...*runs off to type* 


	20. Legends Retold

Zoicite sat on the edge of his bed staring down at the woman that just an hour ago he would have sworn he knew. But now...  
  
She had been acting a little strangely the past couple days. Mostly she just hadn't been yelling at him as much. He had blamed it on her being sick. But now...  
  
He had seen it happen but he still couldn't quite believe it. There had been ...something...out in the hall and it had known Ami. And Ami had changed. He still wasn't quite sure what had happened there. One moment it had been his Ami and then there had been this flash of blue light and...other things...and then there had been another woman standing there. It had sort of looked like his Ami but there had been something so fundamentally different. It was more than the clothes. It had been the way her body had moved, the look in her eyes.  
  
Ami shifted slightly on the bed and Zoicite held his breath for the moment, only letting the air escape his lungs when he saw she wasn't waking up yet.  
  
Ami had been acting weirdly when she had called him, and then when she had come over. She had been so serious. She had been trying to tell him something before the fight, something important.  
  
There was a knock at the door and sound of voices outside. It was the police, they had finally made it to his door. Zoicite knew that they had been in the building for awhile and he had been trying to figure out how to deal with them. Ami had seemed to think that getting mixed up with the police was a bad thing.  
  
So he tried plan A. Not answering the door.  
  
He heard more knocking, this time a little louder, but he continued to ignore it. He figured if this didn't work he would just claim to have been sleeping and not heard.  
  
There was the sound of footsteps shuffling off and Zoicite sighed in relief.  
  
Lets hear it for the simple and stupid plans working.  
  
After a half an hour or so the noise in the hallway completely disappeared and he assumed that everyone had left.  
  
He sighed and went over to his computer, and connecting to the internet. It was time to do some research.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ami woke up slowly. The fight coming back to her as her bruises screamed in protest of any movement.  
  
She had to call Serena. That monster had known who she was. And it had said something about watching them. What was the Negaverse up to?  
  
The sound of typing brought her out of her thought. Zoicite was at his computer in the living room. She could just see him through the crack where the bedroom door had been left open. She watched him for a moment, taking in his familiar profile. His long blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail but a few strands had worked their way free to frame his face, softening the harsh lines of his jaw. He had a very feminine face in many ways, his features rather delicate. But it was the strong line of his jaw that saved him from ever being mistaken as a girl. There was something so utterly masculine about it.  
  
Ami sighed. She was procrastinating and she knew it. She had to talk to him and there was no way now that she could escape from it. And he deserved an explanation. And she needed to know once and for all which side he was on.  
  
She slid off the bed silently and padded across the room. Zoicite never even glanced up from the screen as she came up behind him. She looked over his shoulder at what he was so interested in and gasped.  
  
Zoicite jumped and spun around to look at her.  
  
"That's me." Ami whispered.  
  
There on the screen was a picture of Sailor Mercury. The picture was kind of blurry and it was obvious that it had been cute from a larger picture but it was her. She glanced at the site. It was a popular Tokyo newspaper. The article attached to the picture had to deal with the "mysterious Sailor Scouts" and one of the fights that had occurred a few years ago.  
  
"How did you find this?" Ami asked, still staring at the screen.  
  
"I did a search on local legends in your home town. Didn't take much more than that." Zoicite said, watching her face.  
  
The two sat in silence for several minutes after that, neither willing to be the first to start talking. Finally Ami sighed and began.  
  
"A long time ago the solar system was inhabited by more people than just those of Earth." She told his the story of the fall of the planets, one by one until only the earth and the Moon remained free. She told him about the final battle on the Moon where the last defenders, the Scouts, died, one by one at the hands of those who had betrayed them and how the Queen of the Moon had sacrificed herself after the death of her only daughter so that her people would have a second chance.  
  
As she spoke, it seemed like she relived those times, the memories that Serena had given her taking deeper root in her mind and she finally accepted them as her own. As she described the fall of Mercury, she felt tears slowly slide down her cheeks as she remembered her home and all the family and friends she had lost there. She felt the old anger building in her as she described Beryl's final attack on the Moon.  
  
Zoicite sat silent through this. Every once in a while he would take note of Ami glancing at him uncertainly. Every time that happened, it was like she edited her story slightly.  
  
After she finished telling about the past she took a deep breath.  
  
"And then we were sent into the future. To earth. But the enemy didn't die. They were just trapped. And when they began to break free, the Scouts were called upon again." Then she began the story of the end of Beryl. And again Zoicite noticed her skipping over things in the story.  
  
When she finished talking Zoicite sat for a minute, taking in everything that she had said.  
  
"So if Beryl is dead, who's monster was that in the hall?" he finally asked.  
  
"I don't know for sure. I...I've only been brought back recently." Ami answered.  
  
"What do you mean, brought back?" Zoicite asked.  
  
"Our memories were taken from us after the final battle. After we died the second time, in hopes that this time we could live normal lives. My memories were reawakened so that Mercury could fight again."  
  
"So that you can fight again? So that you can die again?" Zoicite asked, anger leaking into his voice.  
  
"It is my duty to protect my princess." Ami answered quietly.  
  
"And what about me? Am I just supposed to watch you die? You think I can do that?"  
  
Ami gave him a stricken look before quickly looking away but in that brief glance he saw pain and something else he didn't have time to recognize.  
  
"What aren't you telling me Ami? What?"  
  
"You've never just 'watched me die' Zoicite." Ami whispered so quietly Zoicite had to strain to hear her.  
  
"Ami..."the sound of his voice saying her name was a plea so full of emotion that it was hard to believe it was all contained in one small word.  
  
"On the Moon you killed me. Ran your sword through my heart. And on Earth, you were the one who died that time."  
  
Zoicite sat staring at her. He heard the words but they had no meaning for him. His brain refused to give them meaning. They were too unreal, too impossible.  
  
Suddenly the apartment was too small, too confining. He had to get out. He jumped up out of his chair and grabbed his jacket and walked out the door. Ami never said a word, never asked where he was going, never tried to stop him. In many ways they knew each other too well.  
  
He walked down the hall, passing the police tape without even seeing it and left the building.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ami sat listening to Zoicite's retreating footsteps. She had seen the pain trying to rip free of his control and she understood his need to deal with it on his own but it still hurt to see him running from her.  
  
Eventually she shook herself and reached into her pocket to grab her communicator. She had to tell Serina what was going on and arrange for a scout meeting. They needed to figure out what they were going to do if the enemy really did know who they were and had been watching them.  
  
"Hey Ames!" Serena said as her face appeared in the communicator. The second she saw Ami though her expression changed to one of concern, "What's the matter?"  
  
"I was attacked by a monster." Ami began.  
  
"Are you alright? Do you need help?" Serina looked like she was almost ready to teleport that second.  
  
"I'm fine but it knew who I was." Ami hurried to reassure her.  
  
"Shit!" Serena spit out and Ami stared in shock. Apparently Serena had changed over the years.  
  
"We need to get the scout's together."  
  
"I'll take care of it. Tomorrow night okay with you? It's too late now." Serena asked.  
  
"Yea. What time?"  
  
"Don't know yet. I have to talk to the others first. I'll call you back."  
  
"Bye" Ami said before turning off the communicator.  
  
She looked around the apartment and felt suddenly lost. She didn't know what to do. Part of her wanted to stay in Zoicite's apartment to wait for him and try to figure things out. But she also needed to give his some time and space.  
  
She reached over and grabbed her forgotten bag and books and headed home.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Zoicite sat staring at the stars, silently cursing them as the weight of a small ring in his pocket tried to drive him to his knees.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ami woke up to the sound of something hitting her window. She got up and looked outside to see a hagridden Zoicite standing there. Running to the door she opened it and stared at him.  
  
"I'm sorry." he said.  
  
Ami ran over and hugged him, feeling the tears beginning to run down her face again. They stood like that in the early morning, with the dawn sun slowly rising over the trees. Finally they both went inside together and curled up on Ami's bed. They fell asleep that way, Zoicite's arms tightly holding Ami to him even in sleep.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hey all! Okay, if I remember right, at the end of the first season of Sailor Moon, time got rewound so that the newspapers and things wouldn't have had any reports on the scouts. That didn't happen here. All that happened was that after the final fight with Beryl, all the scouts memories were changed so that they never remembered being scouts. But that was it. Alright, the action is hopefully going to start picking up from here on. Riight. Oh, and still working on bringing in Lita. Ami's chapters are winding down here so soon. I'm just trying to figure out some details in how they find her.  
  
Lil-PrincessK - umm...I'll take that as a compliment. You got some imagery there. Glad you like Zoicite!  
  
JerseyGirl03 - *salutes* Yes ma'am. One update coming up!  
  
AbsoluteNutters - Hey! Well, I'm glad you found the story again. Don't worry, I've done the same thing. Though it is a lot of fun to get to read several chapters all at once.  
  
Sailor Phoenix - oh, not to worry. I'll keep going with this till its over. Sometimes it just takes longer than I like.  
  
BenRG - OMG! Thank you! I was trying desperately to remember the scout's attacks and what they did. Its just been a long time since I've actually sat down and watched the show. I'll have to do that again here. Seriously, any help you can give I would appreciate. I'll send you an e- mail or something. Thank you!  
  
SailaMoon - Nephrite? Oh man. Let me finish the Ami/Zoicite disaster first here and then we'll see. All I know right know is he's going to show up at some time in this. And I am trying to write as much as possible here before I head back to school.  
  
Sorceress Usagi - hee hee. Thank you.  
  
Charlyne - hi! Glad you liked the story so far.  
  
happygolucky111 - well, thanks to you I'm now trying to figure out how to throw a rebirthing party. grrr. Stupid people giving me all these plot bunnies. And Zoicite now knows about the past. Ami's chapters are almost over here. I don't expect much more till Lita takes over. And if it is any consolation, pay attention to haw many chapters each scout has gotten devoted to them. Serena got one, Rei got two, Mina got like four and Ami got like 8. At this rate, with it doubling each time, Lita's going to get like 16 friggin chapters.  
  
lazzykane - Read what I wrote right above this. Lita lovers, it is going to be worth the wait. I promise.  
  
Jabba - there was more talking in this chapter. I'm planning on the rest of the generals showing up but I'm not quite sure when or how yet. We'll see. As best as I can tell, this is going to be a long story.  
  
Bluejello - hey, if people insist on throwing me wonderful ideas, who am I not to use them.  
  
Jedi Master Calriel/Rose Black - ack! one question at a time. *feels a little overwhelmed* okay, *takes deep breath* maybe, don't know, maybe, don't know, yes, maybe, within a couple chapters, probably not, and yes, it'll be Nephrite. *stands back and grins* hee hee. And if you don't want to go look at all those questions you sent me, the abridged version is basically Ami's chapters are winding down here and Lita is coming right after...maybe.  
  
kalinda - hi! *waves madly at the screen* Thanks for reading and I'm glad you like my villains. I'm going to play with them soon so I hope you keep reading.  
  
Silver Dragonfly - okay you, enough with the idea bunnies. I had this whole chapter planned out and then read you review and almost brought in Serena and Darien. I suddenly had this idea about Serena and Darien bursting in to "save" Ami from Zoicite because they had somehow found out about the attack. But I realized I'm trying to finish with Ami so the Lita lovers don't kill me here soon. *sigh* Ah well, store it for another story. 


	21. Oaths

The beeping of the communicator woke Ami. There was a grumbled complaint from behind her as she pulled out of Zoicite's arms and went to grab it.  
  
"Ami!" Serena said, her face appearing on the little screen.  
  
"Hi Serena"  
  
"Is 9 your time going to work for tonight?"  
  
Ami thought for a second before nodding, "Yes, that's not a problem for me."  
  
"Thank god. Between Mina, Rei and I we've had to change it three times already."  
  
Ami smiled at the exasperation in her friend's voice. Just then a pair of warm arms curled around her waist and Zoicite leaned over her shoulder to see what she was doing.  
  
"Um...hi?" Serena's eyes flicked back and forth between Ami's and Zoicite's faces.  
  
"Zoicite helped to fight the monster that attacked last night." Ami answered the question in her princess's eyes.  
  
Serena nodded very slowly, "I think...it would be a good idea to bring Zoicite with you when you come tonight then."  
  
"But..." Ami began to protest when Zoicite interrupted her.  
  
"I will be there."  
  
Serena looked at the two of them before smiling and signing off. The second her face disappeared from the screen Ami spun to glare at the man standing behind her, trying to look innocent.  
  
"Rei may just kill you the moment you walk in the door." she said, trying to keep her tone conversational.  
  
"Ami." Zoicite looked away from her and ran a hand through his hair, "I have to know. You can't just tell me about this horrible past and then just leave. You and that princess of yours are my only link to who I am. Who I really am."  
  
He flopped down on the bed and looked at her, his eyes begging her to understand.  
  
"How can I ask forgiveness if I can't even remember by sins?"  
  
Ami knelt in front of him and placed her head down in his lap, "I just don't think that I can lose you for a third time."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena sat against a wall while trying to keep an eye on Rei, Mina and Darien and the door all at the same time. Ami hadn't shown up yet and Serena had decided not to tell the others about the "guest" coming. She didn't know the full story yet so it was better to wait and let Ami explain.  
  
As she was sitting there Darien came and sat beside her.  
  
"What's the matter?" he asked quietly.  
  
Damn that man for being so perceptive! Or maybe she was just that transparent?  
  
"Just worried about Ami." There, that wasn't a lie.  
  
Darien glanced sideways at her. It was almost as if he didn't believe her!  
  
Just as he opened his mouth to respond Ami arrived and the fun began.  
  
"What the...?!" Rei exclaimed as Zoicite walked slowly in behind Ami.  
  
"Ami?" Mina just looked confused, but in her hand was her transformation pen.  
  
"Well, I guess that answers that." she heard Darien say as he stood up and faced two new arrivals.  
  
Serena stayed sitting and pulled on her best Princess of the Moon face, "Hello Ami, Zoicite. Please sit down."  
  
Rei opened her mouth to say something but Mina nudged her and the two of them grudgingly took their places as well. It was Darien who was actually the last to sit down. He remained standing, staring at his old companion until everyone else was seated. And only then did he sit down next to Serena. And Serena understood. Technically this was not a matter for the princess of the Moon. This was one of Earth's generals and therefore Darien's territory as the prince of Earth but things were complicated. Old protocols and divisions had been destroyed with the kingdoms that had first created them and new ones had to be felt out slowly. But that didn't mean Darien was just going to abide by Serena's decisions.  
  
"Ami, since you called this meeting, you might as well begin it." Serena said, hoping that what Ami had to say would help things along. Otherwise this could get bad. She loved her Scouts but each one had such a strong and unique personality that tempers often flared over differences in opinion. Even calm and quiet Ami had been known, when she truly believed in something, to defy everyone, including her princess. Zoicite had the potential to be one of those things.  
  
"Yesterday there was a monster attack." Ami began to tell her story and the room was quiet. No one interrupted the calm voice of the princess of Mercury as she described the monster attack and the aftermath of the battle. When she stopped talking all eyes turned to the man sitting beside her.  
  
"Zoicite, do you have anything to say?" Darien asked, his voice causing the other man to jerk and look up from his contemplation of the floor.  
  
"I can't remember. But if what Ami told me is true, I need to know, to have my memories restored. Please."  
  
"And how do we know you are telling the truth? That you aren't here to trick us?" Rei asked.  
  
"Again." Mina added, her voice just as cold as that of the Rei's.  
  
Ami winced at her friends suspicions but could put up no defense.  
  
"I can make sure." Darien's voice caused everyone to look at him in surprise.  
  
"How?" Serena asked, daring to hope a little.  
  
"Zoicite." Darien began, "Long ago, you made some oaths to me. Oaths that would bind you to the protection of Earth and its rulers. If you were to retake those oaths, it would allow me to see into your mind."  
  
"Can you give me back my memories?" Zoicite asked.  
  
"Possibly. This will link you and I once again and that link is a powerful thing."  
  
Zoicite sat staring at Darien for a minute before nodding once, "I will do it."  
  
Darien stood and Zoicite knelt before him.  
  
"Zoicite, Knight of Earth, do you swear to pledge your life to the service of the Royal Household of Earth, to protect all that is held dear by that house and defend it until your last breath?"  
  
"I do."  
  
Suddenly Darien's sword was in his hand and he was covered in the black armor that marked him as a Knight of Earth in his own right. He drew the edge of the blade through his palm and passed his sword to the man knelt at his feet. Zoicite did the same and Darien offered his bleeding hand to the him.  
  
"Then rise, my brother, for your house is mine and as long as you protect Earth, never kneel to another man again."  
  
The moment their hands clasped, a blue fire sprung up around the two and Zoicite's startled gasp could be heard. The two men stayed there, frozen for what seemed like an eternity to Serena.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Zoicite felt the flames spring up around him and gasped. Then everything dropped away and all he could see was blue.  
  
"There you are, my Knight." said a familiar voice.  
  
Zoicite spun and bowed instinctively at the man standing before him.  
  
His Prince.  
  
"My Lord." he said.  
  
"Enough. We have been through too much to worry about formality."  
  
Zoicite looked up. It was like the memories were there, just on the edge of his grasp. He knew he owed this man everything and yet he didn't know why. He knew that he had betrayed him and yet didn't know how or why. It was confusing.  
  
Darien walked towards him and put a hand on his shoulder and smirked, "Lets see what we can do about your memory. Brace yourself."  
  
Suddenly it was like the floodgates in his mind had opened up and the memories that mere moments ago had been just out of reach were now threatening to drown him. He heard someone cry out and it took him a second to realize the voice had been his.  
  
And just as suddenly he found himself collapsed on the floor of the temple.  
  
He opened his eyes to find a pair of crystal blue ones anxiously staring down at him.  
  
"Worried?" he asked.  
  
"Always." came the soft reply.  
  
Images of this same woman flashed in his head, of fighting side by side, standing against her and of loving her. Those memories threatened to overwhelm him again as the pain of his past finally was brought home to him.  
  
Slowly, his muscles protesting Zoicite got to his feet and looked at the man he had sworn to die for. Instinctively he called forth his own armor and knelt at the feet of his Prince, drawing his sword and offering it, hilt first to his Prince while bowing his head.  
  
"Stand up Zoicite." Darien said, his voice betraying the exhaustion he felt.  
  
"My Lord, I betrayed the oaths I took to you. My sword and life are yours to take."  
  
"I don't want them. Now, stand up."  
  
Zoicite looked up in confusion, "But...?"  
  
"Enough." Darien interrupted him, "The past is over. We have all failed at one time or other because of the evils we were facing. But we've all been given second chances. I'm not going to ruin it. Now stand up."  
  
Serena walked up and gently put her arms around Darien's waist, showing her support of his words. Behind her, the two others, Rei and Mina, seemed to be dealing with their own demons and Zoicite felt pity for them. He understood all to well the inner conflict they were going through and the scars that had just been ripped open by his return.  
  
They all had a lot of healing to do.  
  
Feeling a pair of arms wrap around him he looked down to see his own personal angel. Why she stood with him he couldn't understand. She was a Princess and he was just a mere Knight. He had allowed himself to betray her and all her people while she had died protecting them. He was an arrogant jerk who loved to watch her try and get mad at him and she was the responsible one who had always been there to help him when things fell apart.  
  
The two couples stood, mirroring each other. Their two stories were surprisingly similar, both having to fight to regain the trust that had once come so easily to them.  
  
In the silence there was a battle of wills going on. Three fighting for the future against one fighting for the past. They were all too stubborn and strong willed for their own good but Zoicite eventually finally admitted defeat by putting his own arms around Ami.  
  
Not that he had really wanted to win.  
  
He may not deserve forgiveness but who was he to turn his back on it when offered.  
  
And maybe, this time, they would get things right and make it to that happily ever after he had always heard about.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Meanwhile, somewhere much darker a man was helping a frail and tired woman to finally leave the magical circle she had been in for so long, a dark, pulsing crystal clutched in her hands.  
  
In the shadows, Rubeus watched them and began to feel that time was running out.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Alright! That is the end of that. Now, I get to finally play with Lita. And thanks to a favorite little Irish pub here at home I am feeling up to the challenge. Oh, and I think you should all appreciate the amount of happy ending here. Any one who has checked out my other stories will see a definite tissue trend.  
  
Jedi Master Calriel - umm...to the best of my knowledge you are right. I don' think they were ever destroyed, unless you assume that they died with Beryl at the end.  
  
Marni - Right now I am going to try to bring the other generals in but I don't want the story to get too detailed so we'll see if they fit. But if I get my way they will show.  
  
Jabba - thanks! I just suddenly have a lot more time to do things so I'm trying to put as much of this story out there as possible before life gets hectic again.  
  
Deny - hey! I hope this chapter answered your question. Zoicite will be a part of the team but it may be a rocky transition. And I am not *quite* done with those two.  
  
Adyen - more fluff and stuff needed? hee, well, I'll see what I can do.  
  
Lady Artemis - *blushes* Thank you! That is really nice of you to say. I hope this story keeps up with your expectations.  
  
Ginny-Star !No worries. I saw it was you but I had just figured you had gotten a new account of something. Trust me, people as wonderful as you and your reviews are hard to forget.  
  
kalinda - Thanks. Lita is comeing. Maybe not in the next chapter, which is probably going to be a break between the two story arcs, but defiantly in the one after that.  
  
Sorceress Usagi - I'm trying.  
  
happygolucky111 - hee hee. Well, we'll see how this all goes. I hope you like this chapter too! 


	22. Secrets, Secrets

"Toy store!" Serena shouted in pure joy, pushing the struggling teenager in with her.  
  
"Serena!" her brother groaned, looking around and trying to pretend that he wasn't with this complete psycho.  
  
"Oh my god! Glow worms!" was the high pitched response, "Sammy, look at this."  
  
"Serena, don't call me that." He said in exasperation.  
  
That got the blonde's attention.  
  
"What's the matter Sammy?" she asked, smirking, emphasizing his name.  
  
Her brother grabbed a Pickachu plush and threw it at her. Serena giggled as she ducked the flying rodent and ran into the next aisle. A second later a large Tigger came sailing over the shelves, missing him by mere inches.  
  
Over the next few minutes everything from Care Bears to X-Men were launched by the two siblings at each other.  
  
And then they found the box of finger darts.  
  
The darts were foam missiles were rubber bands at one end so that a person could send them flying. After that, it wasn't too long till they were kicked out. But not before they bought a half dozen of the missiles.  
  
Serena and her brother, Sammy or Sam as he was trying desperately to get his sister to call him, were spending the day together at the mall. Serena glanced at her brother as they walked into the music store. He had grown up a lot while she had been gone. He was at the age when he was desperately trying to prove to both himself and others that he was mature and no longer a child.  
  
And like any good sister, Serena used this to torment him constantly.  
  
Serena waited as Sam began to shuffle through the music, looking for anything that was worth buying. As soon as he was completely absorbed in what he was doing she took careful aim with one of her missiles and let it fly.  
  
And missed.  
  
The missile went sailed over his head and hit someone else in the back of the head. Serena dropped to her knees instantly, trying to look innocent and absorbed in the music in front of her.  
  
After waiting for a short while she slowly stood back up and looked around covertly for the person she had hit. She hadn't gotten a good look at her accidental victim so she wasn't quite sure who she was looking for but no one was in the aisle her missile had gone into so she figured it was safe to casually walk over there and see if she could retrieve her toy.  
  
She didn't see it after her first quick walk through that section. Eventually she decided to just swallow her dignity and got down on her hands and knees to look under the shelves. As she was searching, a bright yellow foam missile appeared in her vision, dangled in her face by a hand attached to an arm which was attached to...  
  
"Darien."  
  
"Serena, is there a reason you were attacking me in public?" Darien asked, a small smile was threatening to break through his control on his features at the sight of the flustered blonde on the floor.  
  
"I missed." she admitted sheepishly.  
  
"No, actually you hit me pretty straight on." Darien said.  
  
"I wasn't aiming at you moron, I was aiming at..."  
  
"Serena! Can you loan me a couple dollars?" Sam said, walking up to the pair with a couple CDs in his hand.  
  
Serena could feel Darien looking at her as she dug into her purse and pulled out some cash and handed it to Sam, a questioning look in his eyes. When Sam took off to buy his finds Darien raised a single eyebrow at her.  
  
"Who was that?" he finally asked when no information was forthcoming.  
  
"That was my brother, Sam." Serena finally said.  
  
"Your brother? I thought you weren't talking to your family."  
  
"I'm not. Well, not my parents. But I ran into Sam awhile ago and we've been hanging out a little."  
  
"That's great." Darien said, "You two seem close."  
  
A slight smile flashed across her face, "Yea. He's a great kid and we get along better than I remember."  
  
"Probably has something to do with not living under the same roof anymore." Darien said wryly.  
  
Serena saw Sam, that name still seemed weird to her, coming back towards them, "Did you want to hang out with us?"  
  
Darien shook his head, "No. You two should hang out together. Besides, I've got some stuff I need to do this afternoon."  
  
Serena nodded, "Alright, then I'll see you later."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Darien watched as Serena and her brother walked out of the store.  
  
She had been keeping a lot of secrets lately it seemed. This was just one more. She could have told him at any time that she was hanging out with her brother again but instead she had chosen not to.  
  
At times it seemed like she didn't trust him. Oh, she always told him things having to do with the scouts but it still seemed like after all these months that he was still having to fight for a place in her life outside of the fighting. He knew that she had been hurt by things he had done in the past but he had hoped they would be able to have a new beginning.  
  
Seeing Ami and Zoicite together had actually made him jealous. Ami wasn't holding anything back when it came to Zoicite. She had decided to trust him and she was giving him that trust with no strings attached. He knew that it was difficult for the blue haired girl to do that but Ami had always been one to never do anything by half measures.  
  
Serena had been like that once too.  
  
Now though, something had changed. Too many people had taught her to that love meant pain. And unlike in the past there had been no one around for her to look at and tell herself otherwise. He knew what she was doing. He had spent the part of his life after his parents died believing that anyone he got close to would eventually leave. But Serena had bounced back into his life. Twice. And that had made all the possible future pain and loss worth the present love and happiness.  
  
Serena had said that. She knew it. But he knew there was a vast chasm between knowing something and believing it with all your heart.  
  
So he was being patient with her. Or at least trying. There were times that the pain of her mistrust clawed at him and made him want to yell at her, shake her small frame and force her to truly understand how much he loved her and how much he wanted her to love him the same way.  
  
He knew better than that though. He wasn't going to do anything that would give her an excuse to retreat into herself further.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena came home that night after her day with her brother and began to raid her fridge.  
  
All day her thoughts had been on Darien. She had seen the hurt in his eyes when he realized that she had been hiding her little family reunion from him.  
  
She hadn't done it to hurt him. It just seemed like there were times that she wanted a life apart from the scouts and monsters, apart from all the fear and fighting. Something sane and normal. Her brother was that something for her. It had just seemed like even mentioning her brother to Darien would somehow stain her relationship with her brother, take away some of its normalcy by bringing it into contact with her other personality. She knew it was ridiculous but that didn't mean she could stop the feelings.  
  
Everyone who came into her life seemed to get drawn into her constant fighting with the enemies of her long dead kingdom. Her friends from school, her family, even complete strangers that she only talked to for a couple minutes. It was like she was some sort of horrible curse on humanity and everyone she came into contact with got affected.  
  
So she had hidden her brother away, made him her own little secret, a secret to be kept from everyone. But the secret was out now and it had caused pain to one of the people she never wanted to hurt.  
  
She knew that Darien would never admit it. He was her dark Prince, who would always stand beside her, offering his strength and power. And no matter how much she hurt him he would never let it show or turn away from her. And because of it she was determined to save him from any kind of pain.  
  
She laughed at that.  
  
They were quite the pair, the Earth and the Moon. Dark and Light. Man and Woman. Constantly circling one another, drawn toward the other. Both were equally determined to stand between the other and harm and both were equally stubborn in their resolve. And he was stubborn at times. Stubborn and pig headed and obnoxious. He could push her buttons like no one else in the world. It seemed at times like he enjoyed seeing her mad. There were times when she thought that the only thing keeping her from hating him was the fact that she loved him.  
  
She tried to stop smiling as she thought of him but eventually gave up.  
  
She would have to talk to him. Explain about her brother and her feeling and her fears. She really didn't want to but he deserved it.  
  
She sighed, finally giving in to the realization that no matter how far she dug in her fridge there was nothing to eat. She grabbed the phone and dialed.  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Hi. I'd like to make an order for take out."  
  
"Serena?"  
  
"Yes, I'd like one tall, dark, handsome man delivered to my apartment with a side order of food please."  
  
Laughter.  
  
Serena loved that sound. It was so low and deep, so full of emotion.  
  
"I'll be there in thirty minutes or the food is free." Came the eventual response before the phone clicked off.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Darien took thirty two minutes. Which meant he had to pay for the food.  
  
They spent most of the night curled up of the couch, watching movies and just enjoying one another.  
  
At the end of the movie Serena watched as Darien turned off the television with the remote and sighed.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Darien looked at her in surprise, "For what?"  
  
"For hurting you. For keeping secrets. For not telling you about Sam."  
  
Darien pulled her towards him, "Its okay. There was no reason why you had to tell me."  
  
"No." Serena said firmly. "It is not okay. I was trying to keep you out of a part of life."  
  
"Serena, I understand."  
  
"Darien, let me say this, okay? It was not okay. I love you. I want you to be a part of my life. All of my life and not just the parts that involve fighting and the past. I was being stupid and selfish and I'm sorry."  
  
Darien leaned over and kissed her, taking her by surprise since she had refused to look at him during her whole speech. It was a gentle kiss that said more eloquently than words how he felt. When he pulled away he smiled at her.  
  
"I love you too."  
  
Maybe they didn't have as far to go in their relationship as he had thought.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Okay, sorry, still no Lita but I needed to do some good old fashioned S/D filler and to remind you all about Serena's family... Anyways, Lita's story starts in the next chapter. Come on, tell me you guys can't see Lita as a fiery Irish lass. And don't tell me Nephlite doesn't look Irish to you too. Oops, too much info. Oh! And if I miss anyone I'm sorry but ff.net is a touchy site that sometimes doesn't give me all the reviews. Super sorry.  
  
Ginny-Star - Yeppers, the others are coming. Why is that no one ever believes me? *sigh*  
  
Lil-PrincessK - Well, here is a little Serina/Darien fluff and we'll get Lita in the next chapter which I will try to get out soon.  
  
Jedi Master Calriel - That sounds like an awsome story idea. Let me know if you write it. As for the outers, I'm thinking I may have to drag at least Pluto into solve some of the problems but we'll see. This story is already too confusing for me sometimes. I'm surprised people still read it.  
  
Jabba1 - Oh man. I am actually looking forward to Rei and Jadite. It'll be fun. Volatile. But fun.  
  
happygolucky111 - Despite what anyone who has read my other fics may think, I do not like unhappy endings. I love angst but I need my happy ending so right now, in true Sailor Moon fashion, I am planning of everyone hooking up and living happily ever after. Eventually.  
  
Chibi J - You're frightened?!?! I'm the one looking at this and hyperventalating. I seriously think I've lost complete control over this monster and am just along for the ride. But hey, its fun. Anyways, I'm glad you enjoy it so far. As for downtime, I would love to put some in but I think that things like this chapter are as close as I can get. More of an author problem than a story problem.  
  
BenRG - I think I said before that I could go either way with the pairings but I want to play a lot with the whole past/future destiny stuff and so this is what ya get. I actually love Chad and Rei (part of the reason he got such a nice feature there). Anyways, I know I said I was going to e- mail you (I did say that right?) I actually tried onece but my internet chose the moment I hit the send button to die on me and I was too lazy to rewrite the whole thing. I'll have to try again sometime here. But this is me so don't expect a lot.  
  
Deny - Lita is definatly next and you'll just have to wait to see who gets mixed in there with her.  
  
Mercurial1 - The scouts have no clue who Rini is. Anything that happened after Beryl in the comics/show didn't happen in this story unless I've said otherwise. Rini may have tried to run into the past but Serena and Darien were not at the park to find her, Serena had been kicked out of her house so Rini couldn't live with her and that meant that there was no where for Rini to hide from the four sisters.  
  
JerseyGirl03 - Rubeus is going to die. And probably not at the scouts hands. How's that for a teaser?  
  
Mena1 - Can't stop. Too many evil plot bunnies.  
  
Bluejello - Well, I'm glad people like my Zoicite. I was a little worried about that chapter. I knew all the characters were a little OOC but it was because I was trying to mix their old personalities with their newer ones. Blah!  
  
FireSenshi2 - I'm updating, I'm updating. Pushy reviewers. I luv ya! 


	23. An Irish Lass

"Time is running out. I need to use my advantage now before the others figure out what I am doing." Rubeus said, pacing back and forth in front of a small cowering demon, "But I still can't face Sailor Moon straight on. She's too strong and has too many allies at her back these days. I need a ways to make sure that she won't fight."  
  
"My lord?" the servant said tentatively.  
  
"What is it?" was the snarled reply.  
  
"What about Sailor Moon's brother?"  
  
A slow smile curved across Rubeus' face as he stared unseeing at his servant, "Hmm...that may work."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Lita glanced at the clock on the wall.  
  
"Last call people!" she yelled and watched as several people suddenly tried to flag down a bartender or waitress.  
  
She smiled as her people smoothly took the last orders of the night. A commotion in one of the far corners caused her to glance over. Apparently one of her waitresses was refusing to get a guy another drink. And from the look of him, she had the right idea. Before she could head over there, Zak was there, in all his 6'8'', 284 lb glory. Lita was too far to hear what was said but considering the man's friends were rather hastily paying their bill, she assumed it was properly intimidating.  
  
That was the only thing that she hated about owning a bar. The drunks. And yee lords above, did you ever get drunks in Ireland. Actually, it was just the violent ones that were a problem. The ones, for example, singing 'No Nay Never' over in the corner along were actually quite entertaining most nights.  
  
As people began to filter out, she had to admit, life was good. It hadn't been what she had planned for herself when she was younger, but it wasn't bad. She had actually worked for a catering company in Tokyo after school was over. She had loved it and had almost just sold the bar when she inherited it from her Granddad. She hadn't seen him in years and with her parents gone she had never really felt close to him. But she had decided to fly out and check the place out and had just never quite left. There was something about Ireland that she just loved. The people were wonderful but held a kind of fighting spirit in them that she connected to.  
  
And there was the fact that they loved her cooking.  
  
She didn't cook as much as she wanted to these days but she tried to make something for her employees every once in awhile to say thank you and occasionally she would set out free food for her customers other than the stuff they could order from the kitchen. But most of the time she left the cooking to her chefs and just tried to stay on top of everything else that was going on.  
  
Finally the last of the locals had stumbled off and things were finally peaceful. She and the bartenders countered out the till for the night and she made sure that all her wait staff got to their cars alright. Her pub had a good reputation for looking after its own and she wasn't going to give anyone a chance to say otherwise.  
  
Finally everyone had headed out leaving just her and Zak behind.  
  
"Everything all taken care of boss lady?" he asked.  
  
"Yea, I'm headed off to bed. Give your wife my love for me okay."  
  
"Will do."  
  
Zak had been her bouncer at the bar since she had arrived. He was actually one of the few men in the world who made her feel small. Back home she had been as tall as, if not taller, than all the guys. Her bouncer also had a protective streak a mile wide. He was always the last one to leave after walking all the staff to their cars or the bus stop, making sure that she was okay and often reminding her to be careful.  
  
After seeing Zak out Lita climbed the back stairs to her loft. It was rested comfortably above the pub and was basically one large room. Lita had broken up the space a little using some rice paper screens depicting rose vines so that her futon was hidden away. There was a small kitchen area with a counter cutting it off from the rest of the room. The kitchen was really too small for her to really work in but it didn't bother her too much. Whenever she wanted to do some serious cooking she would go downstairs and use the pub's kitchen. The rest of the flat was meticulously clean. Some of her staff gave her a hard time, telling her that a neat and tidy living space was the outward sign of a deranged mind but she would just threaten to stop giving them food and they would shut up about it for awhile.  
  
The second she had opened the door to her home a large bundle of energy had launched itself at her legs and began frantically wagging its tail.  
  
Lass, her fearless watch puppy.  
  
She had found the dog, half starved outside her door one morning and hadn't been able to leave it there. She had brought the brown and tan dog in and watched in mild horror as over the next year her "little" puppy had grown to over ninety pounds of solid muscle. As far as she could tell the dog was a mix of Rotweiler and Black Lab. She had all the coloring of the Rotweiler but was built more like a Lab, complete with the long tail. Lass was the only real threat to her clean loft for her tail was a dangerous weapon and had knocked more things over and broken more stuff than Lita cared to think about. Not to mention the bruises one got by just standing too close to the thing.  
  
Lita petted her dog and walked over to her bathroom and turned on the shower. She had learned a long time ago that she couldn't sleep with the smell of smoke and alcohol clinging to her. She actually liked the smell most of the time but there was something about it that kept her awake. So that meant that every night after bar close she had to shower.  
  
She had finished and slipped on a pair of loose pajama and her green tank top when she heard a crash down in the alley next to the house followed by yelling.  
  
Grabbing the claymore that Zak had bought her last Christmas, she ran down the stairs, Lass crowding close to her heals. The huge sword was almost as big as she was, only an inch shorter, and had been used to frighten more than a few drunks and would-be vandals away, especially since the woman holding it was not afraid to use the things to bash some sense into people and had the skill to do it.  
  
But what she saw in the alley was anything but normal. A young man, little more than a kid really, had seemed to run down the alley to only find a dead end and was staring in horror and the huge, cat-like thing that was blocking his only exit.  
  
"Damn runt. I told you it was no use running. No come along like a good brat and I promise not to break your legs for running."  
  
Lita didn't know what that thing was or who the kid was but she was pretty sure that she didn't want whatever was about to occur happen.  
  
"Hey! Leave the kid alone!" She yelled, walking into the light caste by the street lamp.  
  
The cat thing whipped around and she finally got a good long look at it. There was nothing natural about it. It was like someone had taken a cat and forced it to stand on two feet and then made it bigger. But not everything was proportionate to everything else. It's mouth, complete with glistening fangs, was larger than it should have been and it's paws seemed three times larger than they should have been.. There was little grace to it's movements as it turned towards he but she could see its strength.  
  
"Go away little girl. This is not your concern." it growled at her.  
  
"My alley, my concern." she replied, sounding much braver than she felt at that moment. At her side she could hear Lass's low growl, as if adding in her two cents.  
  
The huge cat lunged suddenly at her and swiped one of its over large paws at her. She ducked the paw and brought the large sword smashing into the creatures forearm as Lass lunged in and bit down on the creatures calf. The howl of pain it gave sent chills down her spine and she watched warily as the thing backed off a couple paces to lick it's wound, literally.  
  
"You are going to pay for that." It said, its glowing yellow eyes boring holes into her where she stood, braced for the next attack.  
  
Surprisingly, it wasn't the cat who attacked next, or Lita or even Lass. The boy chose that moment to smash a pipe he had gotten from somewhere across the back of the cat's knees. Another angry howl of pain and the creature half turned, presenting its back to Lita and giving her an opening. She swung her sword, bringing it crashing down on the things shoulder. The sword bit deep and stuck and Lita was forced to release her grip on it as the thing she had been fighting reared back, both its paws swinging at its attacker. Lita was too off balance from having her sword yanked out of her hands to duck to claws that came slashing through the air at her. Three claws found the soft flesh of her stomach while another two from the other paw found purchase in he shoulder, ripping through flesh and muscle like butter. Lita bit back her scream as she fell to one knee, instinctively curling herself around the wound in her stomach.  
  
The monster seemed to still be the worse of the two though. The arm that her sword was stuck in was completely useless and it seemed to be having trouble standing.  
  
"Enough. I will come for the boy later." it whispered, a threat and a promise, before vanishing into a dark cloud that seemed to envelope it. He sword, covered in the creatures thick blood, fell to the ground with a loud crash. Lass crept forward cautiously to sniff the sword and the area where the creature had just been.  
  
Lita felt began to feel her grip on consciousness begin to waver as more of her blood fell onto the cold concrete street. She tried to stand and was surprised to find a pair of young shoulders under her arm, supporting her.  
  
"We need to...get to...my loft." Lita said, each word painfully forced out.  
  
She would never be quite sure how they got up the stairs or how she managed to bandage herself up. Most of that was a pain filled haze in her memory.  
  
She did realize at some point that she had been speaking in Japanese during the whole fight. She wanted nothing more to sit down with the kid she had found and drag the whole story of what was going on out of him. But she had been too tired. The most she had managed to do was get him to promise to stay before she completely passed out.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Lita woke to the sound of her alarm clock buzzing away. To her surprise, it turned off all on its own. Popping one eye open, she saw the kid she had saved the other night, standing in the middle of her floor, looking lost. She felt a surge of pity for the poor kid. It was time to get up and try and figure out this mess that she had gotten herself into.  
  
Something easier said than done, especially the getting up part.  
  
As she shifted on the bed, all of her bruises flared to life and her shoulder screamed in pain. After some serious effort, Lita finally managed to sit up and prop herself against the wall he bed was shoved up against.  
  
"Hey." she said, smiling weakly at her visitor who was currently staring at her with wide eyes.  
  
"Hi." came the quiet response.  
  
"Come here and sit down. We need to talk. Wait! Better yet, go dig in the fridge. There was some left over chicken in there. This talk will defiantly be better with food." She said with a grin.  
  
She watched as he pulled out the containers she indicated and warmed it all up in the microwave. The chicken was small, bite size balls of chicken that had been stuffed with rice and sauce. It wasn't really a breakfast food but it wasn't really breakfast time. Thanks to the late hours of the pub, she generally didn't get up till noon so she ate whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted these days.  
  
When the food was ready, she had the kid bring over everything and sit across from her on the bed. He kind of looked like Lass did when she found the dog on her doorstep, scared and starving. That reminded her...  
  
She picked up a piece of chicken and tossed it off to the side without looking. From seemingly out of no where, a black and tan dog appeared and caught it before disappearing again under the bed. She didn't beg anymore but she was never far away when food was on hand. Lita had tossed out the chicken to see where her monster was hiding today.  
  
"Okay, I think it is time we actually were introduced. I'm Lita." She said, holding out her good arm to shake the kid's hand.  
  
"Sam." He said, taking her hand a little warily.  
  
"So Sam, can you tell me what that thing was last night?" she asked, popping a piece of chicken in her mouth.  
  
"I...I don't know. It appear, just appeared out of no where at my house and grabbed me. And then...well, I think we were flying. But I don't think so. At least...it was weird. It wasn't like anyplace I've ever seen before. And then something happened. Something attacked it, made it drop me. And I was here. Well, out there."  
  
Lita nodded, "Do you know why it grabbed you?"  
  
"I don't know! I've never seen anything like that before. It did say something about Sailor Moon and a trap but I didn't understand." frustration seeped into his voice.  
  
"What did it say exactly? Can you remember?"  
  
"I think...'you're going to catch Sailor Moon for us' or something like that."  
  
Lita watched as Sam grabbed another piece of chicken and thought. She knew who Sailor Moon was. She had been this semi-legend back in Tokyo. Kind of a local super hero. But most people thought that she was just that, some legend and didn't really exist. But that thing had been real enough last night.  
  
After a couple minutes of silence, Sam looked up at her, "I need to get home. My parents are going to kill me for being gone."  
  
"Do you know where you are?" she asked, knowing this was going to get ugly.  
  
Sam shook his head.  
  
"Welcome to Ireland, lad."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Lita!!! See! See! I told you she was coming! But did any of you believe me? Noo! hee hee. Sorry, just kidding. I love you guys. Anyways, I hope you all like the quick update. Don't expect this from me all the time. Oh! And some of the questions you guys are asking me are just jumping ahead in the story. There is still a lot of this monster to go so a lot will be explained later on. Bear with me here.  
  
Seriously though, I wanted to thank you all for still reading this. Especially those Lita lovers out there. I think I've tried their patience the most.  
  
BenRG - hee hee. Yea, but I figures that all my readers had active enough imaginations that they could picture a better scene with Serena getting tossed out of the toy store than I could write.  
  
Lil-PrincessK - No, those two are definatly together. They still have some issues but hey, that's what keeps life interesting.  
  
firelightz - well, I hope that things keep surpriseing you. But seriously, thanks. I'm glad people like this story enough to keep reading it.  
  
lazzykane - just for you, a chapter of almost nothing but Lita. And the next chapter will probably be more of the same. So, do you like her? Hate her? Want something more?  
  
jabba - hee, its okay. Now that Lita is out, I'd love to know what you think. Like her, hate her? Let me know.  
  
Sorceress Usagi - Yea, S/D needed some time in the story and I didn't want to plunge right into to Lita's story straight from Ami's. So, you all get my version of fluff.  
  
JerseyGirl03 - You are definatly one of those people who ask all the right questions about three chapters ahead of where I'm going to answer them. But, I can tell you the the Lights are definatly not going to be in this. I do have plans for Pluto and possible the other outers to appear. As for who is going to kill Rubeus, you'll just have to wait and see.  
  
Chibi J - hee, and now on to finding the Seshi with every chapter. But I'm glad you liked the down time. I tend to focus more on Serena and Dairen at those times because, well, everyone else is getting a lot more attention these days in this story.  
  
happygolucky111 - Lita is all this chapter was, just for you and the others like you who were constantly poking me. So, what did you think, like? Hate?  
  
Mercurial1 - yes, that is Rini in there making the dark crystal. I will be going more into that later but it wont be for a while. I've got to do some other stuff first. As for Zoicite, he is basically accepted into the fold right now. Though he may not be completey trusted, no one is going to jump him...Well maybe Ami. Arg! Bad, sewer thoughts.  
  
PS: Hows thins for timliness. ;p  
  
Jedi Master Calriel - thank you so much for the offer. I may take you up on it considering my complete lack of memory and the fact that sometimes other people just have better ideas than I do. And I would love to hear what you think of Lita. Don't worry. If you thinks it sucked just let me know. 


	24. Old Pain

"What!?! How did you lose him? He is just one measly little human boy! And you dare to come back to me saying he got away?" Rubeus glared at the bleeding creature before him.  
  
"My Lord, I was attacked. Twice." the creature said, clutching its arm.  
  
"By who? No one other than you and I even knew what you were doing. Who would have even known to attack you?"  
  
"I'm do not know, my Lord. I was transporting the boy here when I was hit from behind and shoved out of the teleportation."  
  
"You were forced out of the teleportation? That is impossible. To do it, a person would have to be the at the exact same moment as you were. The exact same moment." Rubeus sneered.  
  
"I don't know how it happened, my Lord."  
  
"Fine. And the second attack?"  
  
"A woman and her hound found me as I was just about to reclaim the boy."  
  
"Another Sailor Scout?" Rubeus asked, a slight note of fear creeping into his voice.  
  
"No, just a woman." The creature answered, cringing.  
  
"You mean to say that you were beat by a normal human woman?" Rubeus said, his fury rising again.  
  
"I am sorry, Lord Rubeus." the monster said.  
  
"Sorry for what?"  
  
Rubeus spun towards the door where a man stood, his arms crossed.  
  
"Helios! How is Rini?"  
  
"She is resting." came the curt reply, "What is going on here?"  
  
"This one was just apologizing for getting into a fight with the Sailor Scouts when it was against your wishes." Rubeus said, his tongue smoothly giving life to the lie he had just thought up.  
  
"You attacked the scouts directly?" the other man seemed to tower over Rubeus in his fury.  
  
"No, and as you can see, this demon left as soon as possible from the fight, so there was no damage done to your plan."  
  
"We are not yet ready to face them! Rini is weak still from creating our weapon." Helios said, his voice deadly.  
  
"If you will let me explain..."  
  
"I don't care what happened, we can't afford any mistakes. The scouts need to be caught unawares when we attack so that means leaving them alone! That means, we do not attack them!" Helios interrupted angrily, his cold eyes freezing the two in front of him in place.  
  
"I understand. It won't happen again." Rubeus said, his fear of the man in front of him warring with his contempt of him.  
  
"See that it doesn't." Helios said, spinning around and leaving.  
  
Rubeus glared at the retreating figure before turning on the demon in front of him, "We are running out of time. Bring me the boy. I am going to send a message to Sailor Moon."  
  
* * * * *  
  
For the next half hour, Sam and Lita talked about what had happened and plans to get him home. Both had decided that they needed a good way to explain the situation to Sam's parents. 'Monsters kidnapped me and dropped me in Ireland' lacked a certain credibility. But it was hard, considering they didn't understand what had happened either.  
  
"Is there anyone you could call? Someone who might know more about these monsters? Or even seen Sailor Moon?" Lita asked.  
  
"No, I don't know anyone like that. I mean, everyone reads the newspaper stories about her but I don't know anyone who has ever even really seen Sailor Moon." Sam replied.  
  
"Okay. But that just brings us back to your parents. We have to get you home. And they are going to want an explanation for you being gone. What are we supposed to tell them?"  
  
"I don't know. I don't think my Dad even really believes that Sailor Moon exists so telling him I got grabbed by some monsters may not go over so well."  
  
"But don't you think being in Ireland may give your story some credibility?" Lita asked.  
  
"I don't know. It just seems too weird. Too...unbelievable. I barely believe it." Sam said, looking at the brown haired girl who had saved him, hoping for another rescue.  
  
"I understand. Completely." Lita said, and then glanced at the clock. "You stay here alright. I have to go let in my staff."  
  
Sam watched as Lita walked out of her apartment, a big black and tan dog walking, or like bouncing, along with her. They were only gone a short time but it seemed like forever to Sam. He was trying to stay calm, to not be scared but too much had happened. At least with Lita there, he had someone else to look to. When she left him alone, all he had was his own thoughts to occupy himself with. And those thoughts were almost all unanswerable questions.  
  
Why was he in Ireland? Why had he been kidnapped? How was he getting home? Was the monster going to come back?  
  
Lita came back up and smiled, "I told them that a friend of mine had shown up and surprised me so I'm taking the week off."  
  
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to screw your life up like this." Sam said.  
  
Don't worry about it. Not your fault. Besides," she said with a small smile, "I needed a vacation."  
  
Sam smiled weakly at her.  
  
"So, I was thinking, what we really need is some sort of bat signal for Sailor Moon. After all, this is really her problem. So, we need to find a way to get her attention. Any ideas?"  
  
"No. Um...as far as I can tell, she just shows up when people are in trouble."  
  
"Hmm...I think we need to do some snooping. I've never heard of Sailor Moon outside of Japan, after all. I wonder what is going on." Lita said, walking over and flicking on her computer.  
  
After several searches, they were able to find reports of monsters all throughout Europe and Asia. There seemed to be the most sightings and attacks in the major cities like Tokyo and London. But they were still no closer to finding a way to contact Sailor Moon. In only a handful of the attacks did people claim to have seen the legend. A few of the newer reports mentioned similar fighters appearing though, which was interesting.  
  
The other interesting thing was that there were no groups of missing persons. Lita knew that most of the police wouldn't start investigating a missing person until they've been gone a couple days but if monsters really were kidnapping people, then wouldn't that have caused some suspicion? Unless they only kidnapped a couple people?  
  
Or maybe, Lita glanced sidelong at Sam, they only kidnapped one person.  
  
But why him? What made him special?  
  
* * * * *  
  
A tall figure watched the young man and the woman talk. She almost hadn't been able to save him. The threads of fate had been changing almost constantly lately, overwhelming her with all the possibilities. If she had been a fraction of a second off in her timing when she had intercepted the young man and his would be kidnapper, she would have missed her chance and another future would have occurred, one with less hope in it than the current time line.  
  
Soon, very soon, she would have to leave her post and take a more direct course of action than she had thus far. There were too many things that the Princess did not know, too many things that she had to know before she did something that she would forever regret.  
  
Sailor Pluto, guardian of the gates of time, gazed for a moment at the thousands of possibilities that the future held and waited silently for her time.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena and Darien were having a quiet dinner on her couch, watching a French film, Amelie, that Darien had picked up on his way over. Serena was in love with it. It was a romance but there was enough quirks and humor in it that Darien seemed to be enjoying it as much as she was. On the floor, curled up together were Luna and Artemis, who seemed to also be enjoying the movie. And the dinner, which thankfully had not been cooked by Serena.  
  
The phone rang and Serena groaned. It was probably a telemarketer. Somehow they always knew when she was eating and decided to call then. She had almost bought herself caller ID, just so she could tell if she should answer.  
  
"Hello." She said, watching Darien's butt as he bent over to pause the movie for her.  
  
"Hello, this is Mrs. Tsukino, Sam's mother." the voice on the other end began.  
  
Serena could feel the blood draining out of her face. It had been years since she had heard her mother's voice. Darien was immediately beside her, his eyes asking what was wrong as he took in her shaking hands and pale face..  
  
"I was wondering if you have seen him at all today? I'm sorry to bother you but I'm going through Sam's address book here and I came across your number. He wasn't here this morning and he hasn't been home all day. I'm really worried about him." her mother's voice continued, a slight waver at the end telling Serena that she wasn't as calm as she was trying to pretend to be..  
  
"No. No, I haven't seen him for a couple days. He's...is he missing?" Serena looked at Darien, trying to think of what could have happened. At her feet she could feel Luna and Artemis, gazing up at her, just as worried about her reaction to the call as Darien.  
  
"I don't know. He's never done anything like this before. He always tells me where he's going and when he'll be back. Yours was the last number I called. I've been trying all of his friends that I know first. But no one has seen him." Her mother's voice was slowly becoming more and more frantic as she talked, "I don't know what to do anymore. The police can't do anything for another 24 hours. What if he's hurt? What if something happened to him?"  
  
"I'm sure he's fine. Something probably happened and he lost track of time." Serena said, trying to offer comfort to both herself and her mother.  
  
"You are probably right. I'm probably overreacting. Thank you for your help miss. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't get your name. All Sam has written down here is an 'S'."  
  
Serena felt panic welling up inside of her. What should she say? She couldn't lie to her mother. Not anymore. She had lied enough. But she couldn't just tell her that she was talking to her daughter. Could she? After all this time?  
  
"I'm sorry. I've got to go. I'll do what I can to find him for you and get him home. I'm really sorry." Serena babbled out as fast as she could before slamming the receiver down.  
  
Darien pulled her into his arms and began petting her hair, trying to get her to calm down. She clung to him, wrapping his strength around her like a protective blanket against old pain and tried to force back the tears.  
  
She had taken the coward's way out. She knew it. But she had never been really brave to begin with.  
  
"Sammy's missing." she mumbled into Darien's chest, "That was my mother."  
  
"Oh my." she heard Luna gasp.  
  
Out of all of her friends, Luna and Artemis were the only two who had been with her when her parents had thrown her out. They had been the ones who had held her together, who had forced her to keep fighting as Sailor Moon when she had wanted to quit, they had watched as she had gone hungry so that she could pay her rent. The two cats had often gone hunting for their own food instead of eating the cat food Serena had always bought for them before she bought her own food.  
  
And it was the two cats who had seen Serena's mother's face when Serena had walked out of the house that last time. Her father had been stern but her mother's doubts had been obvious in her eyes. Serena had known they were doing it because it was what they thought was best but that didn't stop it from being painful. A part of her had always felt that her parents, simply because they were her parents, should never have given up on her like they did. They should have tried harder to understand her.  
  
Even now, she felt almost betrayed by the fact her mother hadn't recognized her voice. Weren't mother's supposed to be able to recognize their own children? She knew this was irrational but that didn't stop her from feeling that way.  
  
Another part of Serena blamed herself. She should have told her parents who she was and why she couldn't follow their rules, why she had to always sneak out of the house at night.  
  
Now, her brother, the only family she had left, was missing.  
  
Finally, she pulled away a little from Darien, "I have to find him."  
  
"We will, don't worry." Darien said before adding softly, "Did she know who you were?"  
  
"No. She just got my number from Sammy's stuff. Apparently he didn't write down whose number it was." Serena said.  
  
"I'm sorry." Darien said, "I'm sorry."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hey all! Thanks for all the reviews on the last chapter. You are all wonderful! Anyways, I hope I cleared up some questions about Sam's rescue. I'm moving my butt back to WI in the next couple weeks here so I'm going to apologize ahead of time for my timeliness in putting out the next chapter. Okay, on the my favorite part of the AN...  
  
Terenity Rose - Thanks. I know it took awhile to get this out but I hope you like it.  
  
Kaji1 - Hey! I'm so glad you still like this and are reading. Trust me, I understand how easy it is to lose track of a story. And with compliments like yours, I'm likely to forgive you anything.  
  
happygolucky111 - I'm so glad you liked that last chapter. Sorry it took so long to get this one out. Hope it was worth the wait.  
  
firelightz - Don't worry, you were supposed to be kinda confused. Sammy dropping into Lita's lap like was too big of a coincidence. But I hope this chapter cleared up some things. Basically, Pluto is messing with things.  
  
looneygirl - trust me, there are much worse cliffies I could do. For instance, this chapter almost ended when Serena's mom asked her her name.  
  
kalinda - I am really glad you liked that last chapter. So many people were anticipating Lita showing up that I was a little worried about disappointing them.  
  
SeleneA - The other Generals will be coming, I'm just not quite sure when. This story tends to be get away from me at times.  
  
Serenity55 - I didn't think anyone would notice that last chapter was a little longer than my usual. Wow. Major brownie points to you. Sorry this wasn't quite as timely though. As for my monsters, I really have that part of the story all plotted out in my head. It's the scouts that I'm not always sure about. But the major conflicts are going to start to get going here soon. I was kinda waiting to get Lita in here before I did anything too major.  
  
Sailor Momoiro Hoshi - THANK YOU! OMG! That was so nice of you. I'll share the cookie with you. You are too, too cool.  
  
lazzykane - Na, Zak is just this great friend of Lita's. I've given most of my characters friends outside of the scouts, people that they've met over the years. Zak being married though was just something that came out while I was writing.  
  
Marni - Thanks, it was kind of a challenge to find new ways of introducing each scout. I was a little worried that things might be getting stale or boring for you guys reading this.  
  
Ginny-Star - I'll tell you a secret, Lass is actually based off a real dog. Kinda scary when you first see her but a real baby. She'll also have the same reaction to cats that the real dog has...*evil laugh*  
  
Jedi Master Calriel - See, you always seem to ask all the right questions. I really don't know when Nephlite is going to come in exactly. I almost brought in a hint of him in this chapter but scraped it because I didn't like it. I have a different idea that might be more in character for him.  
  
Belle - hey! always great to get a new reader, especially one who likes my story that much. Trust me, I have problems with the whole Sam/Sammy thing and I'm the author. But I figured it was something needed to define his character a little more. But I figure if I have problems remembering, so will Serena, thus the occasional slippage by her.  
  
Mercurial1 - Don't worry, I purposefully left the whole Sam getting to Ireland thing a little fuzzy. But I hope I cleared some of that up with this chapter. If not, well, I'm going to adding more explanation as things unfold.  
  
Miko633 - Hey! I'm glad I finally got to hear from you. Its always cool to know people are reading this, whether they like it or hate it. But I'm really glad you like it so far. I try and keep people guessing about what will happen next. Its cool to hear people's guesses on what is going to happen and their takes on the characters. Well, I hope to hear from you again (but as one lazy person to another, don't feel bad if it takes a couple chapters ;)  
  
Lil-PrincessK - sorry, couldn't quite update as quickly as last time. I missed my 5pm deadline by a little there. And Zak is married so none of my wonderful readers decides he'd be better with Lita than Nephlite. hee hee.  
  
BenRG - hmm...Interesting thought...I may have to think about that a bit. And thanks for the Lita feedback. I'm always worried that I'm screwing up the characters.  
  
JerseyGirl03 - hey, curiosity may have killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. You may not remember, but I've already killed off the Wiseman. I never thought about sending the scouts into the future but it is a possibility. Oh, and the other Generals are defiantly alive. 


	25. Round Two

It didn't take long to get a hold of everyone and begin the search.  
  
In Rei's temple, Ami sat on the floor, furiously typing into her computer. Leaning over her shoulder, knelt Zoicite, his eye fixed on the data streaming across the screen. Occasionally one of them would make some cryptic, half sentence that the other would understand and a new fury of typing would begin. In the corner, Serena sat huddled in Darien's arms, waiting for Ami to work her miracles. Rei was in the other room, meditating before the sacred fire and helping the search with her own talents. Mina was talking on her cell phone outside, on the temple's porch, trying to explain to her partner why she was going to be unavailable for an uncertain amount of time. She was keeping as close to the truth as possible. She had simply told Alex that a friend of hers brother had gone missing and she was going to be staying with her friend to help her though things. Meanwhile, Luna and Artemis had been sent to go play spy at Serena's parent's home and see if they could learn anything. They were the only ones that no one would ever suspect and question their presence.  
  
"Hmm...that's odd..." Ami muttered, pointing to the screen  
  
"But that..." Zoicite's brow furrowed in confusion.  
  
"I know."  
  
"Are you sure...?" Zoicite's question drifted off.  
  
"I've already checked a couple times." Ami said, understanding the question even though no one else did.  
  
Darien walked over to the pair and knelt down besides them as Mina came in and took his place comforting Serena, "What do you have?"  
  
Zoicite glanced at his Prince for a moment and then began pointing at the columns of numbers scrolling across the screen, "Apparently some sort of portal was opened up in Sam's room."  
  
"But what is weird is that it looks like something changed the path of the people that were going through it, changing the energy flows dramatically." Ami added.  
  
"Damn. So it is the this new enemy." Darien swore.  
  
"We knew that something like this could happen. Especially since they seem to know who we all really are." Ami said, still staring at the numbers on her screen.  
  
"Can you figure out where they actually ended up?" Darien asked hopefully.  
  
"Not exactly. That sudden change in there teleporting did some weird things to their trajectory." Zoicite said.  
  
"But we can give you a rough idea of where they did land. From there we should be able to see if they teleported again or if they stayed in that area. We just can't get any good reading from here. The distance is too far."  
  
Rei stood up, exhaustion written clearly across her features, "We have to hurry. They are in danger."  
  
Serena's head snapped up, "They?"  
  
"Sam and his protectors." Rei replied.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Lita was taking the rare opportunity to actually cook. Usually, with only herself to feed and having the bar to run it simply wasn't worth making a lot of food. But she had a guest to spoil, regardless of how unexpected that guest was.  
  
The kitchen was organized chaos and Sam had retreated with Lass onto the couch after half heartedly asking if he could help. Lita knew herself too well to allow anyone else into her domain. She was likely to run them over. The Rotweiler had already learned this lesson and was perfectly willing to wait for the results of her owners weird actions.  
  
Lita smiled as she removed the last dish from the oven and placed it into its bowl. The smells had already drawn Sam to the table. Lass, looking equally expectant, was laying underneath Lita's chair, her tail thumping against the floor.  
  
Dinner was relatively quiet, all three occupants concentrating most of their energy on their food. Only the occasional whimper from under the table when scraps became scarce and the appreciative noises of her guest broke the companionable silence.  
  
Lita didn't mind. She always thought really good food deserved this type of attention anyways. Plus, the silence gave her a chance to think. Ever since she had done her research she hadn't been able to shake the feeling that Sam was being specifically targeted by those monsters. She had found lots of reports of attacks but never anything about kidnapping and it puzzled her. There was nothing too exceptional about the boy. Well, other than the fact that he was from half way around the world and had been brought here by a monster.  
  
As if the thought had summoned the creature, the window above her couch suddenly shattered as the same cat-like monster that she had fought earlier burst through it.  
  
Lita grabbed Sam and ran for the door. Lass was crouched down, growling, between the monster and the two retreating humans. As Lita pushed Sam down the stairs, she turned in time to see Lass lunge at the monster. Glistening claws sliced through dog flesh as Lass was swatted away. A small whimper rose from her dog as she hit the floor and slid into the far wall.  
  
Lita instantly ran back, grabbing her claymore as she did from its place by the door. There was no way she was leaving Lass behind. Bruised muscles protested the weight of the sword as she raised it into a defensive stance. She wasn't going to be able to fight this thing. Not again. Not this soon after their last fight. Her only hope was that it was still feeling some of the effects of their last fight as well.  
  
"That the bloody hell!?"  
  
Lita glanced at the door where Zak stood. The monster took advantage of her momentary distraction to attack her, swiping at her with it claws. Lita saw it coming too late and only barely managed to get her sword between herself and the monster, blocking most of the claws. The monster managed to push her back against the far wall though, pinning her there.  
  
"Get everyone out of here." Lita yelled, not taking her attention off the thing in front of her again, even to see if Zak did as she said.  
  
She finally managed to wiggle enough to get some leverage. Using strength that she would have sworn she didn't have, Lita was able to kick off of the wall behind her, causing the monster to stumble backward and giving her a chance to break free of its grasp.  
  
From the table she grabbed the glass of Coke she been drinking and threw it into the monsters eyes. Its paws instantly flew up to try and protect its eyes and Lita made a choice. She dropped her claymore and swept up her dog into her arms. There was no way she could have carried both. Making a dash for the door, she concentrated on running, ignoring the crashing sounds behind her.  
  
She practically fell down the stairs, her own pain and exhaustion combined with the weight of the dog in her arms to make her clumsy. Downstairs, a few last scared patrons were exiting. Zak was beginning to charge back up the stairs when he saw her.  
  
"Where's Sam?" Lita yelled over the commotion.  
  
"Who?" Zak asked, confused.  
  
The sound of a roar upstairs spurred Lita into action. She thrust Lass into Zak's arms.  
  
"Take her to the vet. Quickly! I've got to finish dealing with this."  
  
"No! I'm not leaving you to deal with this alone!" Zak yelled back as the monster finally made it down stairs.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena and the others landed in the area that Ami and Zoicite had found. It was an alley. From several blocks away, the sounds of fighting and panicking people could be heard.  
  
"And I thought this might be hard." Mina said as they ran towards the commotion.  
  
A mob of people were standing outside of a small pub, pointing and shouting while inside two people seemed to be arguing over a dog. Just then a large monster came charging down the stairs and attacked the pair.  
  
"Venus Love Chain Encircle!" Sailor Venus yelled, a golden chain shooting out from her to wrap around the feet of the charging cat.  
  
The pair spun to stare at the Scouts. Serena, the closest, gasped as a familiar brunette turned to the man holding a dog and pushed him.  
  
"Mars Celestial Fire Surround!" Serena snapped her attention back to the monster which was dodging the rings of fire being shot at it by Mars.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Lita stared in momentary surprise at the arrival of the Sailor Scouts. She had no idea where they had come from but she wasn't about to question it right now. She shoved Zak out the door of the pub and away from the fighting.  
  
"Get Lass to the vet. I have to find Sam!" Lita yelled at him, turning away with a quick prayer to whatever deities were listening that Lass would be alright.  
  
For a moment she allowed herself to watch in awe as the Scouts fought the monster. The fighting all happened so fast that limbs and claws were nothing but a blur. Fire appeared out of no where and Lita was momentarily glad that her insurance was covered for flood and fire.  
  
Shaking herself out of the slight stupor she had been in, she began to search through the mob for Sam.  
  
"Lita!" a familiar voice yelled and she saw Sam waving madly at her.  
  
She ran towards him, "We have to get out of here."  
  
Sam nodded and the pair of them ran down the street.  
  
"Where do you think you two are going?" a cold voice asked from behind them.  
  
Lita turned slowly to see a man, floating several feet in the air. He had fiery red hair and was glaring down at them. She grabbed Sam and ran. She knew that she was too beat up right now to fight again but she was still determined to protect Sam. She may not know why all these people were after him but she was sure that it wasn't good.  
  
A black ball of fire sped past, narrowly missing them, as Lita shoved Sam down a side street. Constantly ducking through the twisted back streets, she was hoping to lose anyone who was following them.  
  
Unfortunately, the guy with the red hair wasn't following the plan and getting lost. He was keeping up with them through the alleys and streets. The occasional blast of fire would indicate when he was closing in. Lita was getting the feeling though that he wasn't really trying to hurt them.  
  
Just then, another ball of black fire was thrown and this one hit Lita in the shoulder, dropping her to her knees on the ground.  
  
"Give up the boy and this will all be over." that same cold, masculine voice said.  
  
Correction, he wasn't trying to hurt Sam. She was apparently fair game. And that had hurt a lot.  
  
Grabbing a large rock at her feet, Lita spun towards her attacker and threw it at him. He disappeared, reappearing a moment later several feet farther away with a look of anger. Lita didn't wait to trade further witty remarks with him, getting up and sprinting after Sam instead.  
  
After several blocks, the community school began to spread out before them. Lita managed to find one last burst of energy as she ran faster towards the campus. She had a half formed plan now. Hope and adrenaline were amazing things.  
  
At the very first building, she slammed open the doors.  
  
The entire campus was built on a set of tunnels so that in the winter no one had to go outside to get from building to building. If they could get into the tunnels, they stood a better chance of losing that red headed guy.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Moon Scepter Elimination!" Sailor Moon yelled, finishing off the beaten monster.  
  
As the monster disintegrated, Sailor Moon looked around frantically in the crowd.  
  
"Did you see him?" Mercury asked, noticing the search.  
  
"No! I saw Jupiter!"  
  
"What!?!" Mars said, also turning to scan the crowd.  
  
"But how?" Tuxedo Mask asked.  
  
"I have no idea, but I saw her." Serena cried, frustration filling her voice.  
  
"If she was really here, then she is probably one of the protectors looking after Sam that the Fire told me about." Rei said.  
  
"We have to find them. Everyone spread out and search." Serena ordered.  
  
The others nodded. Serena and Rei took to the roof tops. Ami and Mina took the main road while Darien and Zoicite headed off down the opposite direction. Artemis and Luna stayed closer to the pub, looking for any clues as to where either Jupiter or Sam had gone.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hey all! Don't kill me, please? I was going to update after I moved back to WI here but then my computer got this horrid virus that killed all executables. I had to take it in to the shop and it cost me. But I did finally get around to writing this. But if I miss anyone here, I'm really sorry! I blame evil viruses.  
  
Okay, well, enough of the sob story.  
  
MoonWonderer - Hey! Always glad to see that you haven't abandoned reading this entirely. Don't worry, I'll forgive the lack of reviews. Especially when you are so cool when you do review. And I'm glad you liked the comparisons of Serena and Darien. It was just one of those things that came out while I was writing it.  
  
Lil-PrincessK - Cool. I wasn't sure how people would take Serena's mother. I don't really want people to hate Serena's parents. At least not yet...Anyways, don't fire me yet! I'll bring out the next chapter sooner than this one. Promise!  
  
Silver Dragonfly - Lita may be in the team again soon but my plans for her wont be over quite that quickly.  
  
Sailor Momoiro Hoshi - lol. You keep bribing me with cookies and I'll keep writing. Promise. Ooh! Mt Dew also works, just in case you want to keep some cookies for yourself.  
  
Bluejello - Cool! I was wondering if anyone would guess that it was Pluto. And yep, things are definitely coming to a head. Should be a lot of fun.  
  
firelightz - this is why I had to bring back Ami before I could get Lita. Ami can find anything on that computer of hers.  
  
kalinda - I promise to try and get out the next chapter sooner. I'm kinda excited about the surprise that will occur in it.  
  
KhmerGirl - Thanks! Hope your still with me and liking this.  
  
Jedi Master Calriel - hee hee. You are so right. About so many things. Right now I am still debating if Sam finds out who Serena is or not. I've got two ideas, dealing with her family thread in this story and they depend on Sam. Though I am leaning towards them finding out the truth. We'll see how it all works.  
  
animechrisy (missanime@hotmail.com) - what was long? The story or the chapter? I'll agree that the story is getting long. *sigh* I seriously am considering breaking it up into two parts.  
  
lazzykane - I know! Helios was the only person I could have as Reni's partner when she was evil. I just loved that idea and had to go with it. I am glad you like!  
  
Mercurial1 - sorry sorry sorry. I promise to try to do better on the updates. Really. I hope this was worth the wait though.  
  
Jabba1 - heh. I'm glad you like that little Serena/Darien's butt thing. I thought some humor was needed there. And seriously, who wouldn't check out Darien's butt?!?  
  
JerseyGirl03 - No Star Lights. Nope. Not going to do it. Nope nope nope. Too many people already. I promise ::holds up hand:: to bring in Nephrite and Pluto. All other characters are currently in limbo. hee hee. Though if Jadeite gets brought in you should all pity that boy. As for the other outers, I'm thinking of leaving them out but we'll see. In my mind, they already know who and what they are so it is totally up to them whether they help out Serena or not.  
  
demoiselle Perenelle - hee. Thanks. I'm really glad you liked this and I hope you still are reading.  
  
BenRG - Yea...I got plans for Rubeus. He's going to be beaten. Badly. As for the "wonder weapon"...to be perfectly honest, I'm still working on that. Hopefully it'll be cool though.  
  
happygolucky111 - hee. And here my excuse was going to involve something like rabid bunnies from the moon kidnapping him to steal his brain... 


	26. Rubeus' Death

Lita and Sam ran down the stairs, pushing open the swinging doors at the bottom with enough force to slam them against the walls. Ignoring the startled yelps of other people in the tunnels, they pushed their way through throngs of people that were in their way. Eventually the crowd thinned out, letting the pair gain some speed as they randomly dashed down the different underground hallways and corridors.  
  
An explosion behind them made Lita jump. Running wasn't working. Maybe it was time to try hiding. She glanced around and spied several empty rooms.  
  
"Sam." she said, stopping their head long rush and pulling him into a room.  
  
She looked on guiltily as the boy bent over, gasping for air. She was madly gulping air as well.  
  
"Sam." She started again, "Stay here. Turn off the lights and lock the door."  
  
"But...what are...you going to do?" Sam asked as he breathed heavily.  
  
"I'm going to keep going. When I manage to lose this thing, I'll come back for you."  
  
"But..." Sam looked at her, his eyes slightly widening in suppressed fear.  
  
"Don't worry. I saw the Sailor Scouts at the bar. They're probably looking for that monster so I just have to wait to be rescued." Lita said, winking at him.  
  
Before he could argue any more she turned around and ran out into the hall just as another explosion, this one closer, shook the walls around her. The brief rest had allowed her a moment to realize just how bruised and beaten she was. The adrenaline was having a hard time keeping her standing upright. Somewhere in their flight she had dome a number on her left knee and had finally noticed it. But she knew she couldn't stop.  
  
Her running had slowed considerably, as her knee screamed at her. He brain was madly trying to come up with some sort of plan but she just couldn't think of anything.  
  
Just then she stumbled. She closed her eyes, waiting to meet the hard tile floor. But in never happened.  
  
Cautiously she opened her eyes to find two arms wrapped around her, holding her up. For a second she feared that she had fallen into her enemies arms. Slowly, almost fearfully she raised her eyes up to look at the face of her savior and met the most beautiful pair blue eyes she had ever seen.  
  
The man was most defiantly not the man chasing her. His deep mahogany hair was tied loosely into a ponytail. His strong, chiseled features held a measure of concern as she felt her fingers reflexively clutch at the strong arms holding her.  
  
"Are you alright?" he asked, his deep voice somehow reminding Lita of the deep forest.  
  
A ugly chuckle behind her brought her back to herself. She roughly pushed the man away from her as she spun to face the source of that laugh.  
  
"You are sure resourceful, for a human." the red haired man said, still hovering a couple feet above the floor. In his hand danced a ball of the black fire that Lita was quickly becoming all too familiar with.  
  
"Who are you?" she asked, proud that her voice didn't waver as she faced him.  
  
"My name is Rubeus. Now, where is the boy?" he said, glancing around the immediate area as if that would reveal Sam's hiding place.  
  
"You're not going to get him." Lita said, forcing her body into some semblance of a fighting stance.  
  
"Well, that remains to be seen. Now, since you seem to insist on doing things the hard way..." Rubeus threw the black fire at her.  
  
It had happened too quickly and her body was too slow. The fire hit her in the middle of her chest. It felt like nothing else. It was like the fire burrowed directly into her very soul. Instead of heat, a type of burning cold filled her and she couldn't hold back the piercing scream as it washed over her, dropping her to her knees in front of Rubeus.  
  
The first sound that she was able to hear after her own scream was that evil chuckle, "So, where is the boy?"  
  
Lita opened eyes that she didn't remember closing to glare at him, which seemed to anger him.  
  
"Where is he?!" he yelled at her, the fire engulfing her body again.  
  
It took her longer to fight her way back to reality this time.  
  
She coughed, noticing the blood pooling on the floor in front of her, "Ever consider anger management classes?"  
  
She watched as his face contorted in rage. She braced herself for the pain and hoping oblivion would come this time, but like just a minute ago, it never came. And once again she looked up into the beautiful face of a stranger, this time framed in black fire.  
  
"No!" she screamed.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena and Rei had seen the people fleeing out of the building and ran inside just in time to hear one of the explosions from farther in.  
  
Rei pulled out her communicator as the two fought there way through the mob of hysterical people, all going in the other direction, "Guys, we've got some action over here."  
  
The others looked at the coordinates that Rei's communicator was broadcasting and promised to meet up with them soon. Meanwhile, Serena and Rei continued on down, both fearing what they would find at the end of the tunnels.  
  
Following the sounds of the battle, they slowly made their way.  
  
"Sailor Moon!" a familiar voice yelled from behind them.  
  
Serena spun around to face her brother and gave a strangled sob, "Sammy!"  
  
Sailor Mars watched for a second as Sailor Moon hugged her brother before turning back towards the hall, a voice in the back of her head noting that they were going to have to have a talk with Sam after this was all over.  
  
"Serena! I told you..." Sam gasped, "Serena?"  
  
"Yea." Sailor Moon said, looking sheepish at letting her secret slip so easily, "Surprise."  
  
"Oh. Wow. Well...that explains a lot." Sam said, the dazed expression on his face becoming thoughtful.  
  
The sound of a scream ripped through the halls, as, as if summoned, Ami, Mina, Darien and Zoicite came running down the hall.  
  
Sam spun around, "Oh my god. Lita! You have to save her!"  
  
"Stay here!" Sailor Moon yelled back at her brother, already running before the second scream began.  
  
The others ran at her heels, each one fearing what they would find when they stopped running.  
  
Turning a corner, they were greeted with the sight of a bloody Lita, struggling to stand over the fallen body of a man as Rubeus became completely enshrouded in his black fire.  
  
"Get away from her!" Sailor Moon yelled.  
  
"Venus Crescent Beam Smash!" the blast of golden light seemed to shatter on the fire surrounding Rubeus.  
  
"Mars Fire Ignite" Sailor Mars sent her stream of red flame at the cold, black flame only to see them extinguished.  
  
Darien and Zoicite, both drew their swords and stood in defensive positions in front of Lita, never taking their eyes off of the enemy in front of them.  
  
"Mercury, give us some cover!" Sailor Moon yelled, as she and Venus tried to attack. Sailor Venus sent a well aimed kick towards the back of Rubeus's knees, trying to bring him down while Sailor Moon tried to get in a hit from the front. Before either connected though, Rubeus disappeared, reappearing a second later several feet away to send a blast of black fire at them.  
  
"Mercury Bubble Blast!" Mercury's fog rose around the battle as Serena dropped to the ground, avoiding the attack aimed at her.  
  
"Damn you, Sailor Moon. Did you come to save your precious little brother?" Rubeus's voice taunted from somewhere in the mist.  
  
"I came to kick your ass!" Sailor Moon yelled back, glancing at Mercury for direction in the fog.  
  
Off to the side, Darien suddenly spun and ducked a stream of black fire. He lunged in the direction it had come from but Rubeus had already disappeared again.  
  
Mercury looked up from her computer and gestured to Sailor Moon.  
  
"There. Now." she said, pointing.  
  
"Moon Tiara Magic!" Sailor Moon threw the golden, glowing disk in the direction Mercury had pointed and was rewarded a second later by an angry scream.  
  
"Mercury Ice Storm Splash!" Mercury's attack followed Sailor Moon's almost instantly.  
  
Mercury released the fog around them to reveal a bleeding Rubeus, struggling to get up from his knees.  
  
"You are going to pay for that." growled Rubeus, shooting flames at Mercury.  
  
Zoicite lunged at Rubeus, sending his sword through the other man's shoulder as Mercury managed to dodge the attack on her.  
  
"She won't be paying for anything with me around." Zoicite muttered, yanking the sword out of the other man.  
  
Rubeus disappeared and reappeared further away from the battle, clutching at his arm. Blood welled up through his fingers.  
  
"Enough of this." Rubeus growled out at them, turning his attention to Serena, "Someday Sailor Moon. Someday you will understand what pain really is. You think you have family problems now..."  
  
The man disappeared in a burst of flame and vile laughter.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Rubeus reappeared in his cave and collapsed on to the floor. Slowly, painfully he began to crawl towards his bed. Before he could reach it though, a kick connected with his abdomen, spinning him around to look at the angry faces of Helios and Rini.  
  
"How dare you betray us?" Helios hissed, grabbing the other man by the throat and lifting him into the air.  
  
"Wait..."gasped Rubeus, struggling vainly in the other man's grip.  
  
"You were told, repeatedly, to leave the Scouts alone. You blatantly defied every order we ever gave you."  
  
"I...have information...though..." Rubeus said, trying to speak as the last of his air was squeezed out of his throat.  
  
Helios threw him against the wall and Rubeus sank to the floor.  
  
"I don't think we need your information." Came the sickly sweet voice from next to Helios.  
  
Rubeus looked up in time to see Rini raise up a small black crystal in front of her.  
  
"No! Wait! The Scouts! You parents were..." Rubeus's words were cut off by his scream as a beam of pure, dark energy shot from the crystal and hit him in the chest. From where it hit, tendrils of black began to engulf his body. Even when he was completely covered, the sound of his screams could be heard.  
  
Rini frowned in concentration as the black power began to dissipate, leaving no trace of its victim behind. When it was completely gone, she sagged against her lover.  
  
"It still fights my control." she muttered.  
  
"Shh. You are still weak from creating it. Soon my love, soon you will be able to finish this fight and live as we've always wanted to." Helios said, kissing the top of Rini's head.  
  
And inside the black crystal, a small, unnoticed grain of pure, white energy continued to pulse, fighting off the corruption around it.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Hey all. I felt the need to remind you all of the "wonder weapon" and its little flaw because I had almost forgotten so I can only imagine how any of you would remember. Anyways, what did you all think. I suck at writing fights so I hope this wasn't too awful but I wanted a bunch of things to happen with these last couple chapters. Okay, well that's it for now.  
  
Jedi Master Calriel - I've decided that Sam will find out. For angst purposes though, if I can pull it off, I'm going to wreck some serious havoc between Serena and her family. I need something to balance out all the freaking romances.  
  
psycho-punk - hi! I was going to e-mail you but I figured I'd just post this instead. WI stands for Wisconsin, not west Indies. Sorry. But if I am ever down that way I'll drop you a note. It would be cool to actually meet some of these people that I get reviews from.  
  
kalinda - well...were you surprised? If not, that's okay. I have lame surprises.  
  
Mercurial1 - ::hangs head:: Sorry. Umm...I'll try to do better in the future. Forgive me? ::puppy dog face::  
  
Jabba1 - hey! Well, here's another general for you. hee hee. Hope fully people will like him. Lass will be alright. I can't kill a dog. People yes. Dogs, no.  
  
Silver Dragonfly - actually, I wasn't trying to make it a cliff hanger. I don't actually like to leave people like that so I try and make each chapter as self contained as I can make it. That last chapter though was about as close as I usually come. But yea...I'll admit that it was a crappy cliff hanger...maybe I'll go back and tweak things...  
  
Marni - yea, viruses = bad. But oh well, back to writing. I hope this update is quick enough this time.  
  
Tranquill MoonBunny - in keeping with my promise, an update in less than a month's time. Thank you, thank you. Hold the applause.  
  
firelightz - you and me both. But hey, Ami could always work miracles on that computer of hers and then added Zoicite's genius to Ami's and viola! Miracles on demand.  
  
Miko633 - you asked for it. I delivered. One dead Rubeus. Lass will be back in the next chapter. Never fear, I couldn't kill a dog. Besides, I've still got plans for her.  
  
Adyen - Thanks! This was almost all action too. I think everyone, characters and author, now need a little down time.  
  
Lil-PrincessK - hee. Everyone seems to love Lass. Lita should be getting her memories back in the next chapter or so, hopefully.  
  
BenRG - at this point, I don't really now power levels. I'm shooting for late R, early S here but who knows. And I have no problem pulling out early, first season powers if they work. ::crosses fingers:: Hope this turned out to be semi-decent.  
  
missaw - thanks! I'm always glad people like this. And, as I promised, an update. In less than a month's time. Go me!  
  
JerseyGirl03 - thanks. In all truth, the virus only added to a bunch of other things, including moving and laziness, that prevented me from writing. But I am trying to do better. Really. 


	27. Dealing

The Scouts stared at the place where Rubeus had disappeared.  
  
Serena turned to look at the pair laying on the ground behind her. Sometime during the fight, Lita has quietly passed out, her body laying next to that of some man beside her who was beginning to stir.  
  
Darien stepped forward, checking both of the prone figures over for injury. As he rolled the man over carefully, there was a shocked silence as everyone was finally able to see the man.  
  
"Didn't we just go through this?" Rei bit out.  
  
"Nephrite?" Zoicite said, taking a hesitant step towards his old friend.  
  
"We need to get out of here." Mina said, glancing down the hall where the sound of sirens could be heard coming from.  
  
"And just where are we going to go? Those two won't be able to stand soon, let alone walk." Rei commented.  
  
"Let's all head to my apartment. If Darien and Zoicite will take Nephrite, Venus and Rei can grab Lita. I'm going to go grab Sam. Ami, will you go find Luna and Artemis and bring them?" Serena said, knowing better than to suggest Rei's temple. The fire scout had been sensitive ever since Zoicite had appeared.  
  
The others agreed and Serena headed back towards where she had left her brother, pushing any thoughts of the future discussions to the back of her mind with a type of grim determination. If she allowed herself to start thinking about it now, she would only worry.  
  
But no matter how hard she forced thoughts of the future meeting away from her, she still knew one thing.  
  
It wasn't going to be fun.  
  
Sam was waiting in the hall for her, worry clearly plastered on his face.  
  
"We have to get out of here." Sailor Moon said before Sam could open his mouth.  
  
"Is Lita alright?" he asked.  
  
"She'll be alright. Now, I need you to take my hand. This will feel weird."  
  
"What are..." Sam's question was cut off as Serena teleported them back to her apartment. The others, including Ami, Luna and Artemis, were already there. Nephrite, fully awake now, was propped up against the couch that Lita was stretched out on, still out of it. Ami was kneeling in front of Nephrite with a small flashlight, checking his pupils while Darien was grabbing some ice packs from Serena's freezer.  
  
Everyone still seemed to be powered up and Rei, at least, looked like she still wanted a fight. Serena sighed, knowing that she had to take control of this, be the leader that she was born to be. But she didn't want to. She felt totally out of her depth, with too many problems all hitting her at once. All she wanted to do was go have a truly spectacular fit of crying like she used to as a child and let someone else deal with everything. Almost everyone else in this room was more qualified to lead than her anyways.  
  
Ami was so much smarter than she could ever hope to be. Mina and Rei were both better fighters. And this was Darien's realm, technically. She was the Princess of the Moon. Earth was so out of her jurisdiction.  
  
"Serena?" Sam said quietly, calling her back from her thoughts.  
  
She looked down at her brother and saw there all the reasons why she was going to lead. Other people believed in her. And even though she would never understand that trust and belief, there was a part of her which refused to betray it. She was the Princess on the Moon kingdom, daughter of Queen Serenity and Sailor Moon, defender of love and justice and she would be damned if she was going to let others do things because she was too scared.  
  
"How is Lita doing?" she asked, drawing everyone's attention to her.  
  
"She's starting to come around. Both of them were pretty beaten up but I've cleaned and bandaged most of the wounds." Ami replied briskly.  
  
"Alright. I think the monsters are gone for the night." Serena said, powering down and becoming herself once more.  
  
The others followed her example and got comfortable in various positions in her apartment.  
  
"I think I'll start with explanations." Serena said, turning towards Lita, Sam and Nephrite.  
  
"You are Sam's sister?" a groggy Lita said, struggling to sit up.  
  
Ami helped her and propped her up with a few throw pillows before settling back down in her place on the floor.  
  
"Yes. I'm not sure how the enemy found out about us or him but they did." Serena started with a sigh. From behind her, she felt Darien's arms come around and hug her waist, silently offering her his support once again.  
  
And so Serena told the story of the Silver Millennium and a war that was fought. She talked about the different planets involved in the war and the betrayals of her Scouts lovers. She detailed the last days of the Moon and the deaths of the herself, her lover, her family and her friends. And she explained their rebirth and the renewal of the fighting. She told the three in front of her about the final battle of that war and how it once again claimed the lives of those that she loved.  
  
"But...why are you telling us all of this?" Nephrite asked.  
  
Serena sighed. She hadn't referred to people by name in her tale, dreading this part. In her hand, she pulled out the last of her pens and held it in front of her.  
  
"Sam is my brother and he deserves to know the truth." she said staring at the pen. "Lita had a past that I can give back to her if she wants it. And you," she said, finally looking up to meet Nephrite's eyes, "You have a past too that you may reclaim."  
  
"I...was born on the Moon?" Lita asked hesitantly.  
  
"No. You were born on Jupiter." Serena said, switching her gaze to her once Scout.  
  
"Jupiter? But...the only...I'm a Scout?" Lita asked, puzzled.  
  
Serena held out the pen in front of her, offering it to Lita, "This will let you remember. I you want to. But you saw what the Scouts fight. If you open that, you will be a Scout again. And the memories are not going to be all happy ones. You have fought two wars with me and lost people you loved. I will not force you to fight again."  
  
From behind her, she heard Darien's deep voice, "Nephrite, I don't have a pen for you. Your past includes broken vows that must be retaken if you want to reclaim your place at my side."  
  
"Your side? But that would mean that...I was a traitor." Nephrite's voice faded till the last word was a mere whisper but everyone heard it just the same.  
  
"Yes." Serena managed not to flinch at the harshness of that single word.  
  
Lita sat, almost entranced by the pen in front of her. Even Nephrite's abrupt rising to his feet didn't seem to pull her out of her trance.  
  
"I need to think." Nephrite said.  
  
Rei moved slightly to block the door, "Where are you going?"  
  
"A walk. If that is allowed?" Nephrite snapped at the woman in front of him.  
  
"Don't go too far. You are no longer in Ireland." Darien responded to the question.  
  
Rei looked past Nephrite to focus on Serena, who nodded slightly at her Scout. Grudgingly, Rei moved out of Nephrite's way.  
  
"Serena?" Sam's quiet voice called Serena's attention away from the door and to her brother.  
  
"Yea?" she asked, trying to smile.  
  
"Does this mean that you aren't really my sister?"  
  
The question made Serena give out a strangled sob, "No! I am your sister. Always."  
  
She grabbed her little brother into a hug, "You are my brother. I'm just a little older than you thought."  
  
Sam chuckled at her feeble attempt at a joke, squeezing her back, and breaking the seriousness of the previous moment, "Well, age obviously didn't bring maturity."  
  
"Hey!" Serena cried, pulling back to glare at him, "You be nice or I won't rescue you anymore."  
  
Sam grinned back, "Rescued, not only by a girl but by my sister. You are determined to ruin my reputation aren't you?"  
  
"Ungrateful brat." Serena said, lightly shoving him and sticking her tongue out.  
  
Sam's reply was more of the same.  
  
"Well, there's no doubting you two are related." Mina said cheerily, blinking rapidly to hold back the tears threatening to overcome her.  
  
"Now we just need to figure out how to reunite Sam with the parents responsible for those two." Rei chimed in playfully.  
  
"You should tell them." Sam said, looking seriously at his sister.  
  
"Who?" she asked, stalling.  
  
"Mom and Dad." Sam said, his voice clearly indicating that he knew that she knew that.  
  
"I think knowing the secret identity on Sailor Moon is dangerous information." Serena said.  
  
"They're already in danger." Sam pointed out.  
  
"And it'll be worse when they know."  
  
"How?" Sam shot back, "Don't they finally deserve to know why you were always sneaking out at night or why you never had time to study?"  
  
"I...I don't know." Serena said, hating the indecision in her voice.  
  
"Please Serena?" Sam asked.  
  
"I'll...try." Serena finally conceded, immediately feeling sick to her stomach at the very thought of seeing her parents again after so long and telling them her secret.  
  
A gasp from the couch drew everyone's attention to Lita who was frantically trying to sit up, "Oh my god, Lass! I completely forgot about her."  
  
"Who?" Mina asked, looking at the other blank faces around the room.  
  
"Lass, my dog. She was hurt when the bar was attacked. Zak was taking her to the vet for me." Lita said.  
  
"Here," Serena said, grabbing her phone and giving it to Lita, "You can call and see how she is doing?"  
  
"Thanks. I can't believe I forgot..." Lita said, dialing the phone.  
  
"Well, being attacked my monsters and rescued by two gorgeous guys tends to have detrimental effects on one's memory." Zoicite said, earning him a swat upside the head from Ami, "A several beautiful women!"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Lita dialed Zak's cell impatiently, barely registering the people talking around her. She had forgotten about Lass! The ringing on the other side seemed to go on forever until a familiar weary male voice answered.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"Zak!"  
  
"Lita? Where the bloody blazes are you girl?" Zak demanded.  
  
"Never mind. How's Lass?" she asked.  
  
"Don't you 'never mind' me. Last time I saw you, you were running from a monster and the news is all a twitter about some explosions down at the University, where, if I'm not mistaken, was in the same direction you were running."  
  
"Zak. Please. I'm tired and sore and confused. Just tell me how Lass is." Lita said, allowing some of the weariness she felt into her voice.  
  
"Lass is going to be fine. A couple broken ribs and some nasty scratches but nothing she won't recover from. Now, how about you?" Zak said, the frustration disappearing in the wake of his worry.  
  
"I'm fine. Got to meet some super heroes who beat up that monster for me." she said, smiling.  
  
"You played damsel in distress? I find that hard to believe."  
  
"Hey, who was I to argue with super heroes."  
  
"So where are ya now? You need a ride home or anything?" Zak asked.  
  
"Naw. I'm at a friends." she said, trying her best not to lie to one of her closest friends.  
  
"Whose place are you at?" Zak asked, sensing there was something off in her story and fishing for more information.  
  
"Do you remember that person that stopped by unexpectedly on me?"  
  
"They have something to do with the things that happened tonight?" Zak asked, making Lita wish the man wasn't quite so astute.  
  
"I am just staying with him. That's all." Lita said.  
  
"Him?" the suspicion was back.  
  
"Its not like that. He's a kid."  
  
"Fine. Alright."  
  
"Look, thanks for looking out for Lass for me. I'll call you tomorrow and we'll figure things out. Okay?"  
  
"Sure thing boss-lady." Zak said, allowing her to end the conversation.  
  
Lita hung up and sighed. Like life wasn't difficult and complicated enough. Now she was being offered something she could barely even comprehend. She need to think, to get away from everyone else for awhile and just be alone with her own thoughts.  
  
Serena seemed to sense her thoughts and walked over, "Hey. Look, if you need to take a walk too, I'm not locking the door tonight, okay?"  
  
Lita looked at the blonde in front of her and saw, for the first time, all the kindness in the woman's eyes. There was something about her, a sort of quiet acceptance of those around her that Lita had never seen before but felt like allying herself with.  
  
"Thanks." she said, giving a small smile before standing up and heading out the door. No one tried to stop her and she was soon walking streets that she had not walked in years.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Okay, boring chapter. Nothing exciting but hey, it was stuff I had to put in or things would just be confusing.  
  
Lady of Pluto - hey! Long time no hear. I absolutly love Venus Smurf's stories. She's great. Anyways, glad this was something worth rereading. Yea...um...about that Ireland/Scotland thing...I thinkI changed it to Ireland after the preview. Ah well. And hey! You have to let me know if you write that story. It would be cool to read.  
  
Jedi Master Calriel - Lita got her pen but hasn't opened it yet. As for why Rini and Helios are evil...Mostly because the author of this fic got that thought stuck in her head and had to write it. But the explanation, so far, in the story is that Wiseman got a hold of both of them, at different times and has turned them. Rini was turned first.  
  
Ocianne - Yea! New readers are so cool. I'm glad you liked the Ami/Zoi arc. It was a lot of fun to write and its cool that people liked it. I have no idea how long this story will run but I'm now able to see an end. I was just noticing that I've now been working on this for over an year and am determined to finish it before it becomes two.  
  
Usako4life - Congrats! You guessed correctly. Major brownie points for you. And thanks for telling me the name change. Every once in awhile I'm like, 'wait, I know this person, right?' Knowing my, oh so stellar memory, I need all the help I can get.  
  
demoiselle Perenelle - Woo hoo! I flushed another lurker out. hee hee. J/k Thanks for the review. Don't feel bad about not reviewing before. I know that sometime people may like the story but just don't have any comments. Which is cool. But I'm glad you are reading this. More than anything, I think it is neat knowing people actually take time out to read the stuff that I write.  
  
Phoeaix - I understand. I've been guilty more than once of leaving the classic 'this is good. Update!' review. It's sometimes the only thing I can actually think to say. But hey, you reviewed which gives you brownie points just by itself.  
  
piukka - Serena will be having the big talk with her parents after I finish with Jupiter getting her memories back...I think. It won't happen next chapter, that I can promise at least. Next chapter is a designated Lita/Neph chapter.  
  
KhmerGirl - thanks! And, in keeping with my promise to people, I am writing as fast as I can here.  
  
Destiny and Fate 4ever - I am glad i am not the only one who questioned why, if the good guys were all in one town, didn't the villains attack somewhere else. So, this is me taking that mild idiosyncrasy and fixing it. It makes me feel better.  
  
Zogeta - lol! Keep reading hun. She may stay in London but that doesn't keep her from showing up for all the important stuff.   
  
SeleneA - You get brownie points for guessing correctly! Congrats. I was wondering if people would catch that or not.  
  
neptunestears - Ooh! I can answer that! The only memories that got erased were those of being a Scout. Well...at least that's the way I've got it. Usagi had met Darien, aka slammed into him, before she became a scout and after the time reversal. He knew her, they just weren't ever anything more than friends in Darien's memories. Does that make sense? I'll have to go back and see if I can make that clearer or something.  
  
Sailor Momoiro Hoshi - OMG! You are too cool! Thank you! Wow, no one has ever kidnapped a Mt Dew guy for me before. I feel special. Just for you, I'll go start that next chapter, even though I was planning on studying.  
  
Jabba1 - well, I am trying to update stuff more quickly to make up for those times when I seem to fall off the face of the planet. hee. People tend to get upset when I do that...  
  
BenRG - Ack. I am all excited about writing that final fight too but I'm trying to write Lita scenes and you are not helping! Giving me all these cool ideas...grrr. You know, thanks to you, and other people like you, I've actually got several scenes from this story and alternate ending and things written out that will never make it into the actual story. I am thinking about doing a deleted scenes chapter after this is all finished.  
  
Guardian Dimension - hee hee. I love people trying to figure out what the crystal is. As for Pluto, she'll be popping in again. Right now, she is guarding the gates of Time. Stupid jobs interfering with saving the world.  
  
Shimmering Angel - I am so not qualified to give tips on writing. I think I'm an English teachers nightmare. I don't plan out a lot of my story, usually having only a general idea of what I want to happen. The best cure for writers block that I've found is actually writing. Which sounds weird but as I force myself to actually type, I get ideas. And I have erased huge sections when something better comes to mind (or is suggested by a reviewer)  
  
Comet Moon - hee hee. Well, that was short and sweet. Thanks. Glad you liked it.  
  
Bluejello - hee hee. I'm not telling. Nope. My lips are sealed.  
  
JerseyGirl03 - I realize I've been writing this story for a long time so things that are mentioned in a chapter a couple months ago, people are going to forget. Plus, writing is reminders help me remember what I was thinking a few months ago too.  
  
Mercurial1 - You know, out of all my reviewers, I think I get some of the most constructive remarks from you. I just wanted to say thanks for that. Anyways, I hope this helped to clear up some of the messiness of that last chapter.  
  
missaw - well, thanks to a truck full of Mt Dew and cookies I'm off to go start the next chapter so hopefully it will be out soon. Hope its still all good. 


	28. Jumping

Lita sighed as she walked the old familiar streets. She hadn't been home for a long time. She had been so busy with her bar, madly trying to figure out the business, with all its legal problems and financial messes, that she hadn't even considered it. And now, when she was finally getting comfortable with things, finally able to relax, this lands in her lap. A part of her, the part who was willing to go fight some bully five times her size over a principle was asking why she hadn't already open the stupid little pen and joined the fight.  
  
But another part of her, the part that had been forced to live in an adult world with real consequences that affected not only her, but her friends was hesitating. She had almost died tonight. If the blonde was to be believed, she had died before fighting. What would happen to her bar if she were to die now? What would happen to people like Zak who were her friends and relied on their jobs at her job to support themselves and their families. Could she risk herself in a fight knowing that others would be affected?  
  
And what if she didn't fight? This wasn't some isolated problem that she could turn her back on. This fight had come right into her bar looking for her. And there were consequences for her friends if she didn't fight, didn't take her place at Sailor Moon's side. What if they lost? Did Lita really think that she could live, watching monsters slowly taking over her planet, knowing that she might have been able to stop it?  
  
She looked up and searched the sky. There were still so many things she didn't know, things that Serena had left out of her story. She understood why the blonde had done that, not wanting to give away too much to someone who may never join them, but it was still frustrating.  
  
And there was a part of her, a part she didn't understand, that was terrified of the man that had fallen into this with her. Nephlite. She didn't understand it, but for some reason it was important what he chose. But she couldn't say how she wanted him to choose.  
  
Lita shivered in the cold night air, tucking her head down closer to her chest, trying to conserve warmth. Up ahead was an old park that she had hung out a lot when in school. Staring at it, she couldn't believe how little it had changed. It was like walking back into the past, making her that confused little teenager once again, seeking comfort from the cool green trees and the calm lake waters.  
  
And there, staring up at the stars as if searching for his own answers, was Nephlite. She stood and stared at him for a moment, silently debating with herself whether or not to speak to him and interrupt both of their solitudes.  
  
She stood there, staring at the man staring at the stars for what seemed like forever until the decision was taken away from her as Nephlite noticed her.  
  
"Hey." he said, sending her a half smile.  
  
"Any answers up there?" she asked, feeling foolish but almost hoping he would say yes.  
  
Nephlite sighed and shook his head.  
  
"I don't know what to do." he said haltingly as Lita sat down beside him, "I need to know what really happened but...if what they said...if I really...And there is more, things that they didn't tell us! How can I decide if I don't know?"  
  
Lita listened to the frustrated voice, mirroring her own thoughts and, surprisingly, finally found an answer, "It's about faith. We take the jump and have faith that something will be on the other side to catch us."  
  
"And if there isn't anything?" Nephlite asked.  
  
"Then we hit the ground and make a pretty stain. Either way, it should be fun." Lita said with a weak grin at the macabre thought.  
  
Nephlite chuckled, "So, next question, what if I don't have enough faith?"  
  
"How about insanity?" Lita asked.  
  
Another one of those deliciously low chuckles, "Well...maybe."  
  
"How about we jump together. That way we can catch each other before we hit."  
  
"I don't even want to think about the physics of that." Nephlite said, shaking his head.  
  
"So is that a yes?" Lita asked impishly, while hiding the fact that she was holding her breathe. For some reason that she wasn't willing to look at too closely yet, this man's answer to her question was important. A small voice whispered viciously that she was letting him make the decision for both of them but she quickly stomped on it.  
  
"I'm still not sure." Nephlite admitted.  
  
"Could you really live, knowing only what you know now? Not ever learning the answer to all of your questions?" Lita asked, giving voice to her own questions.  
  
Nephlite looked at her and asked in a quiet voice, "Promise to catch me?"  
  
"Promise."  
  
"Then I guess I'm jumping. Gods." Nephlite said, looking like he couldn't quite believe he had said that.  
  
The two sat there in the grass, each silently thinking about the enormity of the decision they had both finally, so glibly came to. But it was the only choice they could have made. Neither one was really willing to back down from a challenge, even if the challenge was themselves.  
  
"So...all the big decisions are made. Now what?" Lita asked.  
  
"How about introductions?" Nephlite suggested.  
  
"That actually sounds like a good idea." Lita said, sticking out her had, "Hi, my names Lita."  
  
"Hello Lita, my name is Nephlite. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Nephlite said, shaking her hand.  
  
Lita couldn't help the laughing at the absurdity of the entire situation. Maybe it was all the stress or the lack of sleep, but suddenly everything about everything was absolutely hilarious and she just started laughing.  
  
Nephlite looked at her, convulsing in helpless laughter on the ground and eventually found himself laughing as well. And every time one of them would finally start to regain their composure, the other one would just look at them and they would start laughing all over again.  
  
Eventually, by resolutely not looking at one another, they both managed to regain their composure. The occasional muffled chuckle still broke out. Lita lay back, wiping the tears from her eyes and stared at the night sky.  
  
"So what do you do?" she asked to her new acquaintance.  
  
"I'm a grad-student here...I mean in Ireland. I'm studying astronomy." Nephlite said.  
  
"Really? What are you going to do with that?"  
  
"Well, I was hoping to get involved with some of the space missions, investigate the inner workings of the universe. My area of research is stars and their lives. So, what about you?" Nephlite asked.  
  
"Oh, I just run a little pub. Nothing too special." Lita said.  
  
"Oh? What one?" Nephlite asked.  
  
"The Glas Laoch." she replied.  
  
"Really? I have friends that have been trying to get me to go there for years now. They swear by that place. Especially the food." Nephlite said.  
  
Lita felt a slow blush creeping across her cheeks, "Well, now you really do have to come."  
  
"I defiantly will." Nephlite said.  
  
They spent the rest of the night out in the park talking. Nephlite occasionally pointed out different stars or constellations in the sky. Lita told stories about the people that had wandered into her bar over the years. They swapped recipes and jokes and basically ignored all the weirdness of the previous day, choosing to cling to the here and now.  
  
And they watched the sun rise over the park's trees. The dawn sun chasing away the darkness of the night and the chill in the air.  
  
"New day." Nephlite muttered tiredly.  
  
"Yep. New day." Lita agreed, yawning.  
  
"Guess this means its time to jump."  
  
"Naw." Lita said, standing slowly and stretching.  
  
"No?" Nephlite asked, cocking an eyebrow at the woman in front of him.  
  
"No. Now its time for breakfast. We'll jump after breakfast." Lita said, turning back towards Serena's apartment.  
  
Nephlite chuckled, following in her wake, "Are you cooking or am I?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena sat in the window, silently watching the sun come up. It always seemed like she was sitting vigil, watching and waiting. And praying. She was praying for the two people out there, somewhere, who were so important to her. Lita was the last of her Scouts, the last of the Inner Court to be found and if she didn't join there would always be this void there. But Serena vowed to respect her Scout's decisions, no matter what. She would not beg if Lita chose not to accept the pen.  
  
And Nephlite.  
  
It seemed like they had just finished dealing with the pain of the past. But they obviously hadn't. She was beginning to realize that they had to search out the other two generals. They were a part of her Scout's past and they deserved, as much as her Scouts, to know who they really were.  
  
She knew Rei didn't want to see Jadeite again. There was so much pain and anger there. But Serena wanted her friends to be happy and that meant they needed to heal up all the old wounds.  
  
And Mina, the Goddess of Love. Serena knew that Mina had always been a little unsure about her own love life. She could help everyone else but when it came to herself, Mina lost some of that confidence. And Malachite, with his joining the ranks of their enemy, had shaken that confidence even more. Serena had this feeling that Mina blamed herself for too many events of the past.  
  
In a lot of ways, Ami, who had always been the quietest and least obsessed with boys and love in general, turned out to be the one who was the most able to make things work between her and her love. Even Serena had screwed things up between her and Darien so many times, it was amazing that he still stuck by her. But Ami seemed to just accept the past and move on. Serena couldn't help but wonder how she was able to do it.  
  
And Lita. Depending on how Lita and Nephlite chose, things could get ugly. She had left out so much in her retelling of the past. Things like the fact that they had once been lovers and Molly. Oh god, there was something that still brought tears to her eyes. The image of Nephlite dying, bleeding to death on the ground while Molly, one of her best friends sobbed over him.  
  
It seemed like she always left nothing but tears and heart in her wake. Killing the enemy only to have their loved ones appear to fight her. She wondered if there was ever going to be a time when she would be able to stop fighting. If one day she would be allowed to just die and not be called beck into the world to fight.  
  
But what would she do if there was nothing left to fight? It seemed like that was the only thing that she had ever been good at. And to be perfectly honest, she wasn't all that good at fighting. If she had been, Beryl would never have been able to capture the Moon, or kill her Scouts. The Moonlight Knight wouldn't have had to come to her rescue so many times. And if she had been a true fighter, she never would have cried herself to sleep in fits of self pity so many times.  
  
The sun was up now and Serena felt herself yawning. Just as she was about to move from her perch, two figures came walking down the street, side by side. Lita and Nephlite were returning. Together. Serena smiled, knowing that whatever decision those to made, they had made it together. Which meant things were probably as good as they could be.  
  
A sleepy groan from the couch drew her eyes away from the couple returning to the boy sleeping on her couch. Her smile slipped off of her face as worry returned. Today she would have to bring him home as well.  
  
Serena sighed, sent one last desperate prayer out to whoever might be listening, and stood up, ready to face the new day.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ack. Sorry all that this took longer than expected. It didn't quite come out how I wanted it to. My brain decided recently that it wanted to write an X-Men fic and wouldn't let me write anything else till I at least started that. Seriously, this fic almost gained several X-Men figures for awhile there and I don't even like cross-overs. Oh! Brownie points if you know what Lita's bar name translates into. hee hee. Its Gaelic.  
  
Terenity Rose - thanks. I hope this doesn't suck too much.  
  
kalinda - Glad you enjoyed it!  
  
Lil-PrincessK - yea, I know. But it was supposed to be quick. I want Lita to deal with having feeling (love/hate) for a guy that she really only just met. Right now the two seem to be getting along but that shouldn't last too long.  
  
Warube - OMG! Okay, you are really too nice. I'll tell you the truth about the names...the first time I heard the name 'Usagi' I hated it. I don't hate it anymore but I still don't like writing using that name. So...NA names it is. Stupid but true. You actually got me thinking about explaining some more about the scout's histories and how they got where they are. I don't feel too bad stretching reality because this is frankly an anime universe where thirteen year old children can save the world and battle huge robots. But I am going to try to explain more of how they were able to do what they did. It'll probably be small little things like what I did for Lita in this chapter. Anyways, thanks again for reading and such a great review. You gave me a lot of great things to think about and hopefull it'll get better.  
  
Sailor Momoiro Hoshi - I promise, barring death, I will finish this story. I've written too much to stop now. Ooh! New cookies! I live peanut butter! Or sugar! Or mint oreos. hee hee.  
  
Kail Ceannai - hee hee. Sorry, the reviewer responses stay. Too many people say things that I want to respond to. Not to mention, my readers are awsome people and who wouldn't want to talk to them. ;)  
  
Miko633 - Ohh! ::lightbulb goes on:: You just gave me an idea! ::hugs:: Um...I can't tell you what you inspired though. That would be giving away the secret.  
  
Silver Dragonfly - thanks. I worry sometimes that people are getting bored with this since there are a lot of repeating elements. I'm glad people are still reading though.  
  
BenRG - YOU DID IT AGAIN!!! See, Molly wasn't even going to be mentioned in this. But then I get this review from you and the next thing I know my brain is trying to shove Molly into the plot line somehow. ::sigh:: Oh well, it does make for a better story. Thanks for the idea and review!  
  
Shimmering Angel - hee hee. Naw. Not a dunce, just another writer banging their head against the keyboard. And as you can see, I have problems writing too. Seriously, the X-Men fic would not get out of my head and everytime I tried to write this I ended up thinking about that fic instead. grrr. Stupid brain.  
  
Phoeaix - yea, Lass will be coming back. I want the puppy to chase the kitties.  
  
Jabba1 - I think I may be playing more with the villians soon. After all, the heros aren't the only ones that should have problems.  
  
Adyen - ack. The future. Well...um...yea. COnsider it 'under construction'. (aka author doesn't know yet)  
  
happygolucky111 - yea, well, I can't really see Jupiter running away from a fight now...so, they're going to join.  
  
Usako4life - yea, well, the Mt Dew sorta helped. I think the chapter really would have sucked a lot more without it.  
  
missaw - not the fastest update ever, but I've done worse.  
  
JerseyGirl03 - My favorite color? Dark green. Why? You could make a person paranoid with random questions like that.  
  
Guardian Dimension - No other outers except Pluto so far. But they exist. Somewhere in this univese. I think.  
  
firelightz - hee, yea. Things are moving a little faster now. Sorta. I've got so many things that I still want to do with this fic and I'm trying to figure out how to fit them all in without dragging things out. Ah well. 


	29. The Hard Way

Lita walked in to the apartment and looked around. Next to the window stood Serena, who gave her a tired smile and motioned her to be quiet as she pointed to Sam sleeping on her couch. Others seemed to be sleeping in various places and positions in the girls apartment so Lita decided to make for the kitchen. She could feel the solid presence of Nephlite at her back, following her.  
  
"We were going to make breakfast, if that is okay?" Lita asked Serena.  
  
"Sure. Good luck. I don't know what is in there thats edible." Serena said, "I'm going to grab a quick shower so if you need anything just let me know."  
  
"Thanks." Lita said, begining to dig in the other girl's fridge.  
  
After Serena left she turned toward the stove with several differant bowls, pans and ingrediants to see Nephlite staring over her shoulder at the place where Serena had stood.  
  
"Hey! Out of the way." Lita said, nudging past him.  
  
"She didn't ask."  
  
"What?" Lita asked, only half paying attention as she grabbed a carton of eggs and began putting them into one of the bowls.  
  
"That woman. Serena. She never asked if we made a decision." Nephlite said, shaking his head.  
  
"I don't think she wants to pressure us." Lita commented.  
  
"But..."  
  
"Hey. I thought you were going to help?" Lita interupted, shoving a bowl of something and a wisk into his hands.  
  
Nephlite looked down at the bowl for a second like he didn't know what it was before giving a sheepish grin and started mixing.  
  
* * * * *  
  
A half an hour later, people began to wake up all around the apartment as their noses informed them that breakfast was to be found near by. It was a rather subdued meal. No one really was willing to talk. All the safe topics seemed too stupid right now and the relevant topics were too uncertain.  
  
After breakfast she and Nephlite had announced their mutual decisions. Ami had smiled at her encouragingly while Serena had asked her if she was sure. Mina had given her a huge wink that had strangely comforted her.  
  
Lita stood in front of the petite blonde, clutching the innocent looking green pen in her hand.  
  
With a deep breath, she removed the cap.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Nephlite stood and watched anxiously as Lita removed the cap of the pen. He watched in horror as lightning seemed to crackle across her entire body for a brief moment. Her back arched backward, throwing her head back so that her unseeing eyes faced the ceiling. For an eternity she stayed in this position and yet barely a couple seconds passed before her watched her crumple to her knees.  
  
As he took a step forward to check on her, a strong arm grabbed him, holding him back.  
  
"Your turn." the voice attached to the arm said.  
  
Nephlite turned his eyes away from the brunette gasping for air on the floor to the dark haired man in front holding him. He searched Darien's features looking for something other than the blank expression that would tell him what was in store for him. For a second he was tempted to change his mind and walk away from it all. But he had made a promise to that same girl on the floor and it was his turn to show that she wasn't the only one with courage.  
  
Nephlite slowly turned to face Darien and, standing slightly behind him, Zoicite. Both had that same identical blank look on their faces, as if they were actually wearing excellently crafted masks.  
  
"Do you still wish to make your oaths?" Darien asked.  
  
"I do."  
  
"Then kneel."  
  
Nephlite slowly lowered himself to the ground. The position was a once familiar and completely foreign.  
  
"Nephlite, Knight of Earth, do you swear to pledge your life to the service of the Royal Household of Earth, to protect all that is held dear by that house and defend it until your last breath?"  
  
"I do." Nephlite forced the words past his lips as he bowed his head.  
  
"It is seen and witnessed." Zoicite said.  
  
A flash of light drew his eyes back to the pair in front of him, now dressed in black armor. Darien's sword was his in his hand while Zoisite's remained sheathed at his side. With a grimace, Darien drew the blade edge across his palm and Nephlite got a glance at a white scar on his palm before everything was covered in blood.  
  
Darien handed him the blade and Nephlite took it gingerly. He looked up hesitantly at the men in front of him before repeating Darien's action, biting back a hiss as he felt the skin part before the blade's edge. Darien then offered him his bloodied hand and Nephlite grasped it.  
  
"Then rise, my brother, for your house is mine and as long as you protect Earth, never kneel to another man again."  
  
As the words passed Darien's lips, Nephlite felt like his brain exploded. The world around him seemed to melt away into darkness. As he began to be able to focus, he was able to make out tiny pinpricks of light, like distant stars.  
  
"One last step old friend." Darien said, appearing at his side.  
  
Nephlite nodded. As he did so, those far off stars suddenly came speeding towards him, crashing into him with a force that he never would have thought light could have. And with each star that crashed into him, another image, another feeling, another memory was recovered. Before he could even begin to consider sorting out one, another crashed into him.  
  
And just as quickly as it had started, it ended and he opened his eyes to meet another pair of equally tormented eyes.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Lita felt it the moment Nephlite opened his eyes. It was like the bond between snapped into place as soon as he looked at her. Staring into his eyes seemed to make everything she had just felt slam into her mind real, as if until that moment she hadn't truly believed that any of this was real. But his eyes, mirroring everything she felt, the confusion and pain and fear, confirmed everything for her.  
  
She was trying frantically to sort out the things she felt. It was so strange. There were memories now attached to every face around her, memories of happiness as well as sadness. Memories of things that until right this second she never would have thought could exist. Things that she wanted to weep over the loss of.  
  
And this man that she had never even seen before yesterday was suddenly causing her to feel more things than she even had words to describe. Confusing her more than any thing else in the room.  
  
Anger. Hate. Love. Pain. Joy. Loss.  
  
Jealousy.  
  
It was amazing how such an old memory was able to affect her. How a girl she barely knew, crying over the body of an old lover she hadn't even recognized at the time made her want to scream. It was a bitter addition counterpart overshadowing both the happy and painful memories of two lifetimes.  
  
She wanted to run away from it all. From him. Just get some time to herself so that she could process everything. But her promise to him from the night held her rooted to her place more strongly than anything else in this world could have.  
  
She had never broken a promise and she wasn't going to start now.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Nephlite watched as the emotions flickered through her eyes, too fast for him to recognize. This woman had gone, in the matter of minutes from a new acquaintance to someone that he knew he could not live without.  
  
And yet he had nothing to offer her to counteract the past. He had betrayed the very foundations that they had once held sacred, though he had been under the influence of Beryl. But he had managed to break that bond to Beryl for a girl he had never felt a tenth of what he felt for her.  
  
For Molly he had turned his back on Beryl and died rather than hurt her. But he had killed Lita in the past on the Moon. He had laughed as she fell on the battlefield, rejoicing in the fall of her blood. The very memory made him want to retch.  
  
And now, with her eyes staring into him as if looking at his very soul, he felt like the lowest form of life on this, or any, planet. The pain that pair of emerald eyes was inflicting by merely looking at him was worse than that of any physical wound he had ever had.  
  
He had no idea what to do or say and so they sat in silence.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena looked at the pair in front of her and could practically see the tension between the pair. Looking around, she caught Darien's eye and motioned to the door. He nodded and grabbed Zoicite, pushing him unceremoniously out of the room. Ami noticed and followed them at a more decorous pace. Mina look up at Serena from the pair on the floor, and there were tears in her eyes. Rei never looked up, but walked out the door and the cats followed her.  
  
Serena knelt down beside the pair on the floor and they turned together to look at her, "We're going to give you some space. If you need me, Lita can reach me on her communicator. I'll be back in a couple hours."  
  
Serena stood up before either could reply and put her arm around Mina as they walked out to where Sam was waiting for them.  
  
"Hey. Can you give me a second?" Serena asked her brother who nodded and moved farther off without a word.  
  
Mina looked up at her and gave a watery smile, "Sorry. Memories. You know?"  
  
"Yeah. I know. Are you okay?" Serena asked.  
  
"No." Mina said with a forced laugh, "I miss Malachite."  
  
"Do you want to look for him?" Serena asked.  
  
"No. Yes. Maybe. I don't know." Mina answered, frustration lacing her words.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with loving him, Mina." Serena said quietly.  
  
"Right. Except that loving him was what gave Beryl the opening she needed to destroy the Moon Kingdom." Mina said bitterly.  
  
"No! You loving Malachite had nothing to do with the fall of the Moon. Beryl was the one who did that. If she hadn't used Malachite than she would have found some other way to cause its fall." Serena said sternly.  
  
"What if she hadn't. They were our biggest weakness. If I had..."  
  
"Mina," Serena interrupted, "Beryl is the only one to blame for what happened. You fought to the end. No one could have asked you to do any more. And it is perfectly normal to want Malachite back now that you know he's probably out there somewhere."  
  
Mina grimaced, "Some goddess of love I am. The one guy I ever loved I can't even decide if I want in my life. I feel so stupid looking for him, like I'm chasing after the shadow of something that disappeared long ago."  
  
"Hey. Do you remember what I was like when Beryl had Darien? Sanity and logic has nothing to do with love." Serena said.  
  
"Well, I guess that explains us. Warriors of Love." Mina smiled.  
  
"Sanity and logic are useless in the real world anyway." Serena said, hugging her friend.  
  
"Hey, you have to go get your brother home before your parents have a litter of Lunas. We can talk about our love lives after that, okay?" Mina said.  
  
"Deal. I'll bring the ice cream." Serena said.  
  
"Chocolate peanut butter?"  
  
"And cookie dough."  
  
"Ice cream invented by women for women." Mina said with a wistful sigh before cracking up, drawing strange looks from the others in the hall as Serena joined her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Lita stood up. Serena's words seemed to have released her from the paralysis that her limbs had been in. Almost unconsciously she began clearing up the dishes from breakfast and putting them in the sink. Behind her she heard Nephlite stand. He grabbed some more dishes and added them to the sink as she ran soap and water.  
  
Without a single word Lita began to wash the dishes, handing them to Nephlite to dry. The simple, normal chore gave her something other than the conflicting thoughts and emotions in her head to concentrate on.  
  
Eventually though the dishes ran out. But she felt calmer now, more stable. The shock of everything was fading. As long as nothing else came at her for a couple hours she would be fine.  
  
She watched as Nephlite put away the last dish. He refused to look at her, staring resolutely at the kitchen tiles as if he was trying to memorize the pattern. Memories of the past, of times that they had fought when they were lovers, told her that he would remain like this until she said something.  
  
It was odd knowing both so much and so little about this man at the same time. It was like she had three different versions of him in her memories and she was trying to figure out how to deal with this latest version using what she knew about the others. Trying to figure out what rules still applied and what didn't.  
  
Lita sighed, "We need to talk."  
  
"I know." Nephlite said, still not looking at her. It was like he was afraid that if he did something horrible would happen. Which, Lita admitted ruefully, was not altogether unlikely.  
  
"Nephlite, please, look at me?" she pleaded, needing to see his eyes again, know that he was really there with her.  
  
Slowly he raised his head and their eyes met.  
  
"I don't know what to do." he stated simply.  
  
"Neither do I. But we can't just stand here in silence." Lita said.  
  
"Then what do we do? How do we deal with this? How do we deal with us? Is there even an us?" Nephlite bit out angrily, the confusion and frustration finally finding an outlet..  
  
"Of course there's an us! If there wasn't, this wouldn't be as hard." Lita yelled back.  
  
"Why the hell is there an us? We haven't even been together in a millennia as anything other than enemies!"  
  
"So? That was still an us! We were just fighting."  
  
"So what? It was all some sort of lovers spat?" Nephlite shot back incredulously.  
  
Lita glared at him for a second, wanting to hit him when suddenly the image of them in some millennia long lovers spat hit her and she chuckled. Her laughter grew until she was leaning against the counter for support. Nephlite's look of shock just added to her laughter. Eventually he gave in and joined her in laughter.  
  
"I'd forgotten how you always seemed able to end arguments." Nephlite said as he gasped for breath, holding his side.  
  
"You and I forgot a lot of things." Lita said, recapturing the solemn mood with her words.  
  
Nephlite grimaced, "So, now that we've established that you were right and there's an us, how do you want to deal with it?"  
  
"Hey, I answered the last question. This one is yours." Lita said.  
  
"Damn." Nephlite said, "I suppose ignoring the past is out of the question?"  
  
"I'd do it if I thought either one of us could." Lita said truthfully.  
  
"Then I guess we have to do this the hard way." Nephlite said, sighing.  
  
"I guess so."  
  
* * * * *  
  
A/N: I had to stop there. The next chapter will be Serena going home. Umm...warning. I don't think its going to be a happy family reunion. Just so none of ya get your hopes up. Okay, on to the easy part of writing. Oh! And Lita's pub name translates into Green Warrior. Brownie points to Ocianne! She rocks! Yea, and roswellachick, you got a note here too.  
  
happygolucky111 - I'm gald that you are liking all the Lita-ness. There were so many people that were waiting for her that I'm trying to make these chapters fairly decent for all her fans.  
  
Bunny Moon - This was all about Lita getting her memories back and the next chapter will be about Serena's family. Lita and Neph will still be dealing in the next chapter too. Hopefully they will come to an understanding soon.  
  
lazzykane - Pluto is coming for sure, but I don't know if any of the others will be coming in. I've got so many characters now that its a little overwhelming. But if there's a good way to bring them in, I may.  
  
Kail Ceannai - thanks. I'm not exactly the most regular updater but I'm trying to do better than my past record.  
  
JerseyGirl03 hey! You didn't answer the question! grr. As for the next general, I haven't decided though I think it'll either be Malachite or Jadeite. ::evil chuckle::  
  
Usako4life - trust me, I forgot about Molly too. And then BenRG asked about her and the result is this. Grr. Does anyone remember when this was just a simple one-shot? ::sigh::  
  
etj4Eagle - cool. It is always awesome to flush out new people. Hope this is a decent addition to the story.  
  
Bluejello - the parents are the next chapter. I've know how I wanted to write it for awhile so hopefully I'll get it out soon.  
  
BenRG - hee hee. It's okay, it adds to the story so I really should thank you. I think that my reviewers all have better ideas than I do and its only pure luck that they read my stuff to help me out.  
  
tiredofitall - tell me about it. There are so many characters that I wanna scream. But the that was actually my complaint about Sailor Moon in general, especially in the later seasons. They had so many "main" characters it was nuts. As for the generals, I know not everyone likes them but I'm doing the best I can with them. Anyways, thanks for reading!  
  
Ocianne - congrats. You were the only one to actually get Lita's bar's name. Oh! And I read your one SM story. Seriously, it was really good and I hope you continue it. I love the idea of the fey and human relations.  
  
Kitsune Moonstar - aw. ::blushes:: thank you. I don't think I'm allowed to stop writing. There are a few crazy people who yell at me when I take too long to update. I hate to think what they might do to me if I stopped writing all together. Must be why I love them.  
  
Mercurial1 - hey! yea, lots o' Lita. And lots of angst. ::sigh:: I'm depressing myself here, how sad is that?  
  
Jabba1 - hee hee. That's awesome. I love it when people get excited about things that I write. It means I must be doing something right.  
  
chris - hee hee. Thanks. I'll try to get more of this out to you so the withdrawal pains aren't too bad.  
  
Sailor Momoiro Hoshi - oh man, I think your evil plot is too make me too fat to leave the chair in front of my computer so I have to write. Ah well, ::takes a cookie:: at least I get cookies. As evil plans go, I rather like it.  
  
Transcendant Pig - thanks. I know my updates aren't always the most regular but I hope that you're still reading!  
  
X5-452Star - Thanks! It is nice to know people don't hate me for some of the things I've done to the SM characters. I liked the idea of having the scouts have lives of their own, beside being scouts. They always seemed to be giving up so much, like Ami not going to school. And thanks for being understanding about the NA names. Oh yea, and the X-Men fic is going great. Apparently my brain knew what it was talking about when it convinced me to write it.  
  
DOoDles - well, I hope this holds up to expectations. Thanks for the vote of confidence there!  
  
Prophetess Of Hearts - ack! Sorry. I'll never end it there again. Promise. hee hee. I will try to send out a note when I update but I am bad at that. But hey, I'll do my best!  
  
missaw - one update, fresh from the word processor. Enjoy!  
  
Silver Dragonfly - a lot of people seem to be looking forward to Serena facing her parents again. Hopefully it should be good. It's actually one of the parts of this story that I have had planned out for a while. Just hope everyone likes it. ::crosses fingers::  
  
Lady of Pluto - hee hee. Thank you. I wanted to give this the feel of reality that a lot of anime fanfics seem to be missing. Its always awesome to hear that it worked!  
  
and...  
  
roswellachick - oh man. What to say? You are so cool! I can't believe you reviewed all the chapters. I loved how you kept picking out the certain lines to comment on. There were quite a few that I had forgotten about. Seriously though, you totally made my day and are part of the reason this chapter is out right now. I wanted to respond to everything you've written and that meant I had to write a new chapter so I could put an AN at the end. hee hee. Well, another angsty chapter. Hope you can forgive me for that and I hope you actually read this! 


	30. Parentals

Serena walked with Sam in silence, taking in the familiar surroundings as they headed towards her parent's home. She had promised Sam that she would face her parents again, try to explain what had happened all those years ago. The only problem though was that with each step closer to her house, Serena felt the urge to throw up grow inside of her. She was more afraid of facing her mother and father than she had ever been of fighting any monster. In fact, she would have gladly run off to face a thousand Negaverse monsters than knock on one pale red door.  
  
All too soon they were at that door and Sam stood looking at her, waiting for her to make the first move. She wanted to. Wanted to take that last step and knock on the door but no matter how hard she ordered her limbs to move, they remain numbly hanging at her sides.  
  
"Serena?" Sam finally asked uncertainly.  
  
Serena finally got some control over her own body and turned to smile at her brother reassuringly. She actually managed to knock on the door but it was so light that she was sure no one could possibly have heard.  
  
Taking a deep breathe to steady herself, Serena raised her arm and knocked on the door again, this time much more firmly. Within seconds the door was whipped open and Serena's mother stood there, her eyes immediatly focusing on her son.  
  
"Sammy!" she cried, grabbing her son into a huge hug and bursting into tears.  
  
A second later, Serena's father came running out to throw his own arms around his son and his wife. Serena stood off to the side, unnoticed, watching the family reunion. Her parents must have been worried to death about Sam.  
  
Serena's mother pulled back from the hug and shook Sam, demanding "Where have you been? What happened? Are you okay?"  
  
Sam smiled, "I'm fine Mom. Really. Serena..."  
  
At that, Serena's father looked up and saw her, "You."  
  
Her mother turned her head to look in shock at a daughter that she hadn't seen or heard from in years standing less than two feet away. And in that moment, facing her parents, Serena was a fifteen year old girl again, terrified and confused, caught in the act of sneaking back into her house late at night.  
  
Her father glared at her and asked suspiciously, "You're responsible for Sam's disappearance?"  
  
"No! Dad, it wasn't Serena's fault." Sam cried out in denial.  
  
"Then why is she here?" her father demanded.  
  
"She saved me!" Sam answered.  
  
"Saved you from who?" her father asked, his anger bleeding out of his voice as he began to listen to his son's story.  
  
"These guys, they grabbed me. I think they wanted to use me to get to Serena. But she saved..."  
  
"To what?!" their father interupted, all the anger back in his voice as he turned to yell at Serena, "What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?"  
  
"Dad!" Sam yelled in frustration at being interupted.  
  
"No! I want to hear this from your sister." her father growled out.  
  
Serena had stood frozen during this entire shouting match, trying to think of something to say. Now, with her father glaring at her and her mother staring at her with some unreadable expression, the words she sought seemed even farther away than before.  
  
"Well?" he father promted her.  
  
"I..." Serena sighed and closed her eyes, forcing out the words that sounded more like an accused's confession to her than an explaination, "I have some enemies that thought they could use my brother against me. They kidnapped him. A friend of mine has been looking out for him for the past couple days till I got there. I'm just bringing him home."  
  
"Why your brother? You haven't seen him in years?" her mother asked quietly.  
  
Serena felt like those quiet words punched a whole in her stomach as she opened her eyes to look at her mother, "They knew because I have been hanging out with him occasionally during the last couple months."  
  
"What?" her father burst out, "How dare you sneak around behind our backs to see Sam!?"  
  
"I'm sorry." Serena said, bowing her head, guilt eating away at her.  
  
"I'm not!" Sam yelled, "Dad, you don't understand. Serena is..."  
  
"I don't want to hear it, young man. Serena put you into danger. She kept getting into trouble when she lived under this roof and I see she is still in trouble. I will not allow her to ruin your life like she ruined her own." her father interupted Sam.  
  
Those word burned a hole into Serena's heart, taking root among all her own insecurities and giving them a strength and reality that they hadn't had before. Some how, hearing her father say that made all her fears true and shook her to her very core. Serena took a deep breath and called up that calm that had always served her as both a Princess and a warrior so that she could address the man in front of her, holding back the tears that wanted to come, "Sir, I am sorry that Sam was taken. I promise that it will not happen again."  
  
"Your right. It won't. You will not see Sam again." her father stated.  
  
"As you wish."  
  
"In the house Sam. Now!" her father snapped.  
  
"But..." Sam tried.  
  
"Now!"  
  
Serena watched her brother walk into the house slowly. She could see the anger and frustration in his face before the door slammed shut and she hoped that he didn't do anything stupid. And suddenly she was facing her parents alone.  
  
"You were 'S.'" her mother said, wonderingly.  
  
Serena looked at her mother and her control wavered for a second at the look on her mother's face as she nodded.  
  
"I want to know what kind of trouble you are in, young lady." her father demanded.  
  
Serena looked at him shook her head sadly, "I...I don't think I can explain."  
  
"You had better. I will not have this family put in danger by your thoughtless actions." her father replied coldly.  
  
Serena felt her calm slipping as she tried to find some way of telling her parent's the truth in a way that they would believe her. She could see it in their eyes that they were prepared to hear the worse but she didn't think that they would believe the truth.  
  
With a deep breath she trnsformed herself into Sailor Moon.  
  
Her parent's stood there, staring in shock.  
  
"I promise, as a protector of this planet, I will not allow my enemies to use your son again in anyway. I am truly sorry for what you have gone through and pray that someday you will be able to forgive me for all the pain I have caused you."  
  
Before her parent's could say anything she lept up to the roof top and teleported. She knew she was being cowardly but she didn't want to hear her father yell again or her mother's soft voice, full of hurt confusion. She hadn't really planned on transforming in front of them like that but she knew now that it had been the only way. There was no way thet they would have believed mere words. Especially not from her.  
  
She allowed the transformation to fade away as she as she appeared in an alley several blocks away. Blindly she bagan to run in the opposite direction of her family's home. She felt the tears building in her as her father's word's replayed in her mind, slicing pieces of her heart off each time.  
  
She had almost allowed herself to hope that morning. To hope that her parents would welcome her back home again and forgive her for all the things she had done in the past. That they would finally understand who she really was and accept that person. Love that person as a daughter.  
  
But that hope was gone now, killed by her father's own words.  
  
And not only had she lost the hope of regaining her parents, but she had lost her brother as well. He was no longer allowed to see her and she would not get him into further trouble by defying her parent's wishes. She would not 'ruin his life like she had her own'. She would not have him lose their parent's love like she had.  
  
Without realizing it she had run to the park where she had spent so much time as a teenager. In the shade of the huge trees, Serena collapsed onto her knees, her hair pulled forward to cover her face as she sobbed. Her tears fell to the cold ground and disappeared into the same dirt she dug her fingers into. Clawing the ground as if she could get it to open up and swallow her.  
  
She felt the burning pain in her heart, like someone had plunged a hot, molten dagger into her and twisted it. The tears on her cheeks left cold trails behind as the soft afternoon breeze hit her face, whipping back her hair to expose her tortured features before disappearing into the trees around her.  
  
She hated herself.  
  
In that moment, she truly hated herself. She couldn't do anything right. Her father had been right. She was a screw up. She always had been. She wasn't smart enough, fast enough, strong enough. Things that other people seemed to do so easily were a constant struggle for her. It was a miracle she had actually managed to finish high school. And how many jobs had she gone through over the years because she was always getting fired for being late or missing work because some monster had shown up and she had to deal with it.  
  
Even things that she had once been able to do, in another life time on the Moon now escaped her. She longed for the grace and poise that had once been hers as a Princess of the Moon. The certainty of the future and her role in that future had died with her when Beryl had attacked her home on the Moon. She no longer knew what she was doing and felt like she was drowning slowly in a sea of her own uncertainties.  
  
Anyone who came into contact with her got hurt. Her friends, her family, her scouts, Darien. How many times had the monsters targeted those close to her in order to hurt her. Last time it had been Darien, turning him against her, making her fight her lover in countless battles. They had known that hurting him was worse than hurting herself and yet they had made her do it again and again.  
  
This time they had tried for her own brother, an innocent who had known nothing of her ancient fight. Smeone who had no part in this. He didn't deserve to be kidnapped, taken from his family to face real monsters. If Lita hadn't saved him, things would have been so much worse. It was something that ate at her. That she hadn't been there to save even her own brother.  
  
And those were just two examples.  
  
Everyone who came into her life suffered pain and loss because of her. She had tried to keep them safe by keeping everyone away but she wasn't good enough on her own. She needed them to help her. She had needed her scouts to stand by her side and support her.  
  
She was the one that had cowered in fear during battles in the begining and cried over stupid, silly things that had no real meaning. She had always been the one they died protecting, every single time. She may have learned how to fight better over the years but it still hadn't been good enough to spare her friends. No matter what they said, she knew that they had been better off living as normal humans. Without all the fear and uncertainty that their futures now held.  
  
It was amazing they still stood by her. That they hadn't turned away and left her.  
  
Like her family had.  
  
Her parents had every right to turn away, to kick her out of their lives. She had lied to them, kept secrets and put them in danger by simply being who she was. They had every right to tell her to leave them alone.  
  
Maybe someday...  
  
Serena ruthlessly crushed the thought. She had already been down that road. She would not allow herself to hope again that her parent's may accept her. It was enough that her brother loved her. Even if she never saw him again, she would always know that not all her family had abandoned her. Her brother had stood by her, fought for her, loved her. That was enough. It would have to be enough. To hope for more was being selfish and stupid. She had screwed up and she would take the consequences of that mistake.  
  
Slowly the tears began to dry on her face and she noticed that the sun was getting lower in the sky.  
  
She had almost forgotten about Mina. Here she was concentrating on her own problems when her friend was in pain and needed someone to talk to. And then there were Lita and Nephlite. Somewhere those two were trying to deal with their own set of painful issues. She didn't have time to cry over her own stupid problems. She had to help her friends as they dealt with their problems. The problems that were caused by her reawakening their memories.  
  
She winced as she stood up. Somehow it always came back to her. She had been right not to want to awaken her scouts. All it seemed to cause was pain. But she had done it and now she wasn't going to let them deal with their pain alone. She was going to face the consequences of her actions and deal with them.  
  
Serena began walking towards the grocery store to buy that ice cream she had promised Mina.  
  
* * * * *  
  
AN: Hey. Um...I didn't know what else to add to this so I just sort of ended it there. I warned ya all that this wasn't going to be pretty. I'll do something in the next couple chapters to make up for all the angst, promise.  
  
kalinda - Raye is gonna beat the living snot out of Jade. Part of the reason I'm procrastinating bringing him in. I feel sorry for the boy.  
  
firelightz - thanks. It is wierd trying to give some thing that is based off of an anime like Sailor Moon that feeling of reality without taking away from what makes everyone love in the show. I'm glad you like it all so far!  
  
roswellachick - umm...your going to yell at me for all the angst, aren't ya?  
  
Snowgrl - Malachite is coming. Mina is pretty confused right now. But eventually she'll decide that she needs that guy back in her life.   
  
missaw - so, the parentals chapter...what did ya think?  
  
Ellen - hee hee, thank you. Yea, I'm totally aware that the responses are getting huge. But hey, their fun. And I love doing it. Oh, and don't worry about reviewing every chapter. I'm too lazy to do that too. It always amazes me when ppl do. It's like updating on andy sort of regular basis. It just doesn't happen in my world. Kind of amazes me it can happen in other people's.  
  
bob - Thanks! Hope this is soon enough.   
  
Redroses - Yay! Newbies! ::happy dance:: arg. stupid typos. I hate it when my brain goes faster than I can type and then I go back and read this semi-legible garbage. I'll work on that...  
  
Mercurial1 - the answer to your question was a yes and a no. The parential definatly believed there at the end but that wasn't exactly the open armed welcome. I've actually known that this part of the story was going to go like this for a long time. A lot of this story, at least for Serena, revolves around family, past, present and future.  
  
Ocianne - hey! Thanks, I hate the typos too. Sneaky little buggers are always working their way into my writing. I'm not done with the Lita/Neph pairing yet, or the Ami/Zoi. Remember, Zoi's still carrying around this ring...  
  
happygolucky111 - thanks for the vote of confidence. I actually played around with this chapter more than usual, trying differant things out. I hope it all worked. ::crosses fingers::  
  
Miko633 - I almost included a little of the enemies for you in this chapter but I couldn't get it to fit the way I wanted it to so I think I'll have them as a major part of the next chapter. Hope that's still cool.  
  
Usako4life - what did you mean you weren't expecting anything for a long time?!?! I'm not that bad, am I? ::sigh:: ah well. I can't believe you put a quote from this story up as your away message. That is so cool! You totally made my day.  
  
Prophetess Of Hearts - well, I think I covered all your points there. Now you can let me know how much it all sucked. ::hangs head:: seriously, this was hard to write and I have no idea how good/bad it is so any feedback on it would be awsome. Thanks!  
  
Sailor Momoiro Hoshi - hee hee. Thanks for the watermelon shaped cookie. It made me laugh. My roommate thinks I'm nuts because I was so proud of my new cookie.  
  
Kitsune Moonstar - a lot of people seem to want to see Jadite and Rei's confrontation. I think you all just want to see her kick some guy's butt but I'll see what I can do.  
  
Transcendant Pig - hee hee, well...yea, um...about those morbid thoughts...::looks up at the chapter she just wrote:: I think I can relate. Though mine is more depression...  
  
Lil-PrincessK - Oh! Sorry. Molly was Serena's friend. Nephlite was using her to protect his identity. Molly ended up falling in love with him and actually protecting him from the scouts. Nephlite was killed by Zoicite and died in Molly's arms.  
  
Natalie - ask and you shall recieve. One new chapter.   
  
BenRG - well, I hope this was alright. I knew that I didn't want Serena's family to welcome her back with open arms and to actually blame her for Sam's disappearance. I hope it came out semi-coherently and wan't too rushed.  
  
Jabba1 - hee hee, everyone want to see Rei kick Jadite's butt. I think you all are just mean people and if I didn't want to see it too, I'd refuse to write it. hee hee. Anyway, hope the new chapter is semi-decent.  
  
X5-452Star - Hey! Thanks a lot. It's always cool to hear that people like the dialog that I put in here. Its hard sometimes to figure out if things stay in-character or not and for some reason Lita and Neph have been harder than the others to write. So thanks again for that.  
  
JerseyGirl03 - hee hee, we'll see. I still have to work out some details of where the last two generals are and what they've been doing for the past couple years so it might be a couple chapters before they show up. 


	31. Visions

Serena stood outside her apartment in the hallway debating on what to do. She could hear the soft sounds of discussion coming from inside so she knew that Lita and Nephlyte were still inside talking. They needed the time and space to figure things out between the two of them, so Serena really didn't want to intrude. On the other hand she had two pints of ice cream that were going to start to melt on her any minute if she didn't get them in a freezer.  
  
Rei suddenly appeared, walking around the corner, "Hey. Need a place to crash till Lita clears out of your place?"  
  
Serena looked at the priestess with an odd look, surprised that she had thought to come back and offer Serena someplace to go, "Yeah. Thanks. Can I stash these in your freezer too?" indicating the ice cream.  
  
"Sure. Not a problem." Rei answered.  
  
They teleported to Rei's temple, so that that the ice cream wouldn't melt during the walk. As Serena stashed it in Rei's freezer, she could feel the other girl watching her.  
  
"Darien felt you transform." Rei finally said, breaking the silence with her soft statement.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Rei just stood there, watching her, waiting for Serena to say something. To tell her what had happened. Darien had called her when he felt Serena's transformation, asking if there was an attack. He hadn't wanted to go running to her if she was still dealing with her family.  
  
Rei had told him that she would wait around for Serena to come back and see what had happened. Darien had wanted to, but Rei had convinced him to let her handle it. She knew Serena and had a pretty good idea of what was going through the idiot's head. She was probably blaming herself for everything, beating herself up for mistakes both real and imaginary. There was no way that Rei was going to let her do that and she didn't want anyone else around to stop her from beating some sense into the blonde's head.  
  
"Serena, what happened?" Rei prompted.  
  
"I...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. I know. I screwed up. I probably put us all in more danger and now everything is even more screwed up. I'm sorry Rei." Serena started babbling, tears streaming down the side of her face as Rei listened in confusion.  
  
Slowly Rei was able to coax the full story of what had happened out of Serena. From what she could tell, Serena's parents had jumped to conclusions and Serena decided to just transformed. Aparently she hadn't given them any time to react before she left either.  
  
Rei,a little shocked, knew that hiding her identity from her parents had always been hard for Serena.  
  
Serena was sobbing, her knees having given out under her during her story so that she was now huddled on the floor. Rei tentatively reached out and hugged her, feeling a little awkward. Serena didn't seem to notice as she cried on Rei's shoulder.  
  
"Shh. Serena, this isn't your fault." Rei said, trying to comfort her.  
  
"Rei, I'm sorry."  
  
"For what?" Rei asked gently.  
  
"For screwing up again." Serena sobbed out.  
  
"You didn't screw up." Rei insisted.  
  
"Yes I did. I transformed in front of my parents. They know who I am and that put you all in danger."  
  
"Serena. We're Scouts. We are always in danger. You didn't put us in any more by what you did."  
  
"Yes, I did. I'm always screwing up and having to be rescued by you." Serena said firmly.  
  
"What!?!" Rei exclaimed, pulling back to stare in shock at her friend.  
  
"You are always the one who has to save me. Even from myself. I know it probably sucks and I'm sorry that I always need saving. I just can't seem to help it. I tried. I really did. But I just keep..."  
  
"You idiot." Rei interrupted, "You have saved me just as often, if not more times than I have saved you. And you don't screw up that often. Hell, most of the time your "mistakes" actually are good things."  
  
"Rei, you don't mean that. You would have been a better leader for the Scouts than me. I know you wanted the job. And then there was Darien. I know you used to like him and then I just kinda stole him from you. And then I endangered your life because I couldn't fight my own battles."  
  
"First of all, I do not want to lead the Scouts." Rei stressed. " I have only one Princess and that's you. You will always be the leader because you are the only one out of all of us with the strength and hope to fight anything that comes at us. And as for me liking Darien - Yes. I did. I *liked* him. You *love* him. There is a bit of a difference there and I have never resented you two being together. And that crap about you not being able to fight your own battles. Since when? Who was it that took on Beryl? Who was too damned stubborn to call in her Scouts and instead fought an entire army of monsters? Damnit! I thought we already went through this. I want to fight by your side. I want to protect you. You are my friend and my Princess. I don't want to be safe if the people I care about are fighting. I am a warrior and I want to fight."  
  
Serena looked up at her friend and Rei could see that she still didn't believe her. Serena doubted herself too much. Rei gave a frustrated sigh. A part of her really wanted nothing more than to find Serena's parents and beat them senseless for the pain that they had put their daughter through- for setting her on this downward spiral of self-doubt.  
  
Rei grabbed Serena's shoulders and shook her, "You are not at fault."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena struggled slightly to get out of her friend's grip. Rei looked so mad that Serena was more than a little frightened. She knew that the raven- haired girl had a temper and that it was best not to provoke her. People tended to get hurt when you did. But Serena was having a hard time believing everything that Rei said. Rei was just being nice, trying to comfort her.  
  
Rei? Nice?  
  
No. Rei was not nice. Rei was honest. Rei didn't lie. Rei was usually brutally honest.  
  
But she couldn't really mean everything that she said. Could she?  
  
Maybe.  
  
For the first time, Serena allowed herself to consider Rei's words. Maybe she wasn't a complete screw up? If Rei said so...well, maybe.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Rei was mad.  
  
Mad at Serena's parents for being too stupid to realize the pain they were causing their own daughter. Mad at Serena for being Serena and assuming instantly that she must have done something wrong.  
  
That had been what Rei was yelling at the dumb Meatball head about again, when Darien showed up an hour later. Rei had called him after she had dragged the entire story out of Serena in a coherent form. Darien showing up gave Rei an excuse to go fume in another room while someone else comforted her friend. He could probably do a better job of it anyways.  
  
Rei sat down in front of the temple's sacred fire and searched its depths - seeking calm in the dancing red flames. Slowly her breath evened out as she fell into a light meditation, clearing her mind.  
  
Suddenly the priestess' mind erupted- a thousand images flashed through her mind's eye. She couldn't understand everything. There were flashes of battle, a tall pink haired woman wrapped in the arms of some man. She saw all the scouts and the generals standing at their backs, fighting something that was just out of sight. There was a flash of long green hair. There was a city, bathed in moonlight unlike any she had ever seen before.  
  
And over all of this was a feeling of panic and fear. Time was running out and they had to fight. They had to get ready. Now.  
  
Rei came back to herself in a snap and gasped from air, her heart racing. She had never been taken so strongly by her visions before. And yet she didn't understand. She didn't recognize some of the people or places that she had seen. There had been such a feeling of impending danger, and yet she had no idea where it was coming from. The vision had been urging her to do something before time ran out but she had no idea what.  
  
A final, lingering image stayed in her head, so clear that if she closed her eyes she could describe everything down to the last little detail. Not that she needed a vision to force her to remember that face. The face of her one time lover -the only man that had ever made her cry.  
  
Jadeite.  
  
* * * * *  
  
AN: Sorry sorry sorry. I know this took forever and a day to get out and it should be longer and I'm a horrible person for doing this to you all. Sorry. Forgive?  
  
Couple quick things. 1.) Mercural1 voluteered to be my beta. (ha ha ha! sucker!) All mistakes found were probably gleefully made after she fixed my old ones. 2.) Shimmering Angel wrote this awsome parential POV in her review that ppl should check out. Just look at the reviews for ch30. 3.) Kitsune Moonstar sent me a awsome little pic that is going up on my website for getting 500 reviews. She is too cool.  
  
Alright, the responses (OMG there are a lot...)  
  
Lady of Pluto - ack! Seriously? I am so sorry. It wasn't on purpose I swear. I totally blame ff.net! (mostly because I feel really bad for not responding to your reviews so I am trying to blame anyone else) Seriously, I'm sorry. Yell at me if I do that. It means I'm missing reviews and I hate that.  
  
SailorMeteor - sorry I made you cry. I just didn't want a happy, touching reunion for Serena and her family. I'll make it up in fluff later, how's that?  
  
alone in the grave - I can't promise quick updates but I can promise not to stop, how's that sound?  
  
Chibi Pluto - no worries about the reviews. As long as you review some time I am overjoyed. I'm glad you liked how I did Sere's parents. I was a little worried about that scene.  
  
Bunny Moon - hee hee. Thanks.  
  
blackcat212 - I'm thinking about doing something from Sere's partent's POV or Sam's but I have to think about it some more.  
  
Transcendant Pig - me either. I think I would have totally given up by this point if I was Sere.  
  
happygolucky111 - coolies! I love it when people think I'm being original. hee hee. There are so many SM stories that is probably one of the greatest compliments ever.  
  
Lil-PrincessK - hee hee. No worries, I obsess over fictional characters all the time. And yell at my comouter screen when they act stupid. Nice to know that I'm not the only one.  
  
Serenity's Rose - aw *blushes* thanks. Um, originally I was thinking of bringing in the outer (beside Pluto who will be making more of an appearance) but this story is getting a little long. Though I am entertaining ideas of a sequal bring them in. Yee gods.  
  
Prophetess Of Hearts - they will. Give them time. They are just being stupid. Don't worry, I will give them guilty conciouses soon enough.  
  
Jabba1 - thanks. Sorry about almost making you cry. I was trying to actualyy *make* you cry. lol. just kidding. Thanks!  
  
BenRG - thanks. Actually, you tipped the scale in favor of it being Rei who beat some sense into Serena in this chapter with your review. I was torn between her or Darien. But hey, Darien has had enough time in this fic devoted to him. Also the way I am writing Serena is with a ton of little insecurities. In a way, you are right. She is almost convinced that she doesn't deserve to be happy because of everything that has happened in her past.  
  
Shimmering Angel - OMG! My fanfic inspired a fanfic! lol! That rocks! You are too cool.  
  
roswellachick - How about if I sick Rei on the parentials. She can beat them up for ya.  
  
Ocianne - I know, no one likes angst but I think I got the most reviews ever for that last chapter. Hee hee. That is not motivation to write happy.  
  
Kitsune Moonstar - YOU ARE AWSOME!!!! Thanks!  
  
Bluejello hee hee, the parentials will be showing up again but not for a little time. I'm going to give them some time to think about everything and grill poor Sammy.  
  
Chibi J - Hey, its cool. I would do longer chapters for this but then I think that nothing would ever get posted. I'm a major procratinator and would have just kept adding to the chapters without ever posting. At least this way I update.  
  
Usako4life - hee hee. Thanks. Unfortunatly, I was slow on the new chapter writing here. Sorry about that. I'll try to do better.  
  
serry - One new chapter...slighlty slow in coming out.  
  
missaw - hee hee, angst is all well and good in my book as long as all ends well. And you aren't alone in loving the angst. I got more reviews for that last chapter than any of my others I think. Wow.  
  
chris - hee hee. More candy?  
  
crazy-lil-nae-nae - ah, a person of few words. lol. Thanks for the review!  
  
Ellen - Thanks for the cookie! It was delicious. I was going to have it framed but then I decided to just eat it because it looked too good. (don't mind me, I'm just tired)  
  
angel313 - arg. I know I failed the soon catagory for getting this out. But if it makes a differance, I've already started the next chapter.  
  
aurora - Hey! Wow. I'm impressed you read it all in one shot. Something always interupts me when I try and read a long story. Congrats.  
  
Kaji1 - thank you so much. I'm really glad that you liked everything so far. Oh man, that doesn't really say how much I loved that review. You are great! Thanks!  
  
Marni - improve?!? mwhahaha... Umm, yes. They will. Eventually.  
  
Sailor Momoiro Hoshi - YES! I GOT THE ENTIRE LUCKY CHARMS COOKIE COLLECTION!!! WOOT!  
  
Divamercury - wow. You read it all in one sitting?!? Thats awsome. One of the things I get worried about is that anyone reading the whole thing all at once would be bored or something with it. Thanks!  
  
Mercurial1 - *waves* hey! I talk to you too much already. Well, grovel at your feet. But whatever.  
  
JerseyGirl03 - hmm...Spain...let me see. I actually have been trying to figure out where Jadiete is so maybe. If I can make it work. Is there anything special about the western hemisphere or Spain?  
  
X5-452Star - so. Here's the deal. You inspired this chapter. Originally, I was just going to have serena pretend nothing was wrong and help Mina. But no. You had to remind me about Darien which led to this. Hope you like!  
  
Mercury Guardian - Wow. A lot of people seem to have started reading this for the first time. That is so cool. I love new readers. Especially the ones the review!  
  
Mage Raistlin - I'm looking forward to the end of this monster. If you see the end, could you let me know? I don't see it any where.  
  
kalinda - thanks. I will try and get out at least one more chapter before finals since I made you all wait so long for this one. Deal? 


	32. Visitations

Pluto stood at the Gates of Time, torn. She had to help her Princess and yet her duty was to stand guard here. There was too much that could happen if she were to leave the Gate unguarded, but there was information that she needed to get to the Princess. Knowledge that could turn the tide of the upcoming fight in her favor and save two timelines.  
  
Pluto had already failed once. She had allowed the enemies of the Moon from the future to travel back in time. The Wiseman had distracted her, attacking her and drawing her attention away from the Gate, giving him enough time to slip both himself and his followers back in time, following Rini who had been running, trying to save her mother.  
  
Pluto had originally thought that she could keep Rini safe by opening up a portal in time for her to escape into. But she had been unable to prevent the young girl from being captured and turned into the woman she was now.  
  
If Pluto was to leave the Gate, others might be able to slip through, causing untold damage to the timelines. Yet, she had sworn to protect the Royal family and she needed to help fix the damage that was already done.  
  
The woman stood, looking at her post that she had protected for countless millennia and fought to let go.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena looked around at the large group. Rei had told them about her vision and she was worried. Something big was happening and they were at a loss of what to do. Rei seemed actually spooked and Serena had the feeling that there was something that she wasn't telling them, but Serena was willing to let it go for right now. For right now, she was glad to have something to concentrate on, other than her family issues.  
  
It was weird, but there was something strangely comforting in the old routine of fighting the 'bad guys'. There was something simple and straight- forward about it. They were the good guys and they fought the bad guys. Period. Black and white, good and evil. It was as simple as that. Now if only all of her life could be that simple.  
  
As they talked, Serena felt something change in the air. In the middle of the room a small ball of light appeared and began to grow. The others all jumped to their feet, backing away and surrounding it. Ami already had her computer out, trying to analyze whatever it was while the others circled the light, ready for anything.  
  
As the light grew in size to an oval, roughly six feet in height, Ami yelled out, "I think it's..."  
  
Just then a tall woman with long, flowing green hair stepped out of the light and it disappeared in a flash behind her.  
  
"A portal." Ami finished as they all stared.  
  
Serena felt some sort of recognition tugging at the edge of her memory. She knew this woman that stood tall and proud in front of them, a large staff in the shape of a key held in her hand.  
  
A key...  
  
Serena gasped.  
  
The woman knelt in front of her, her every move graceful and confident.  
  
"Sailor Pluto." Serena said numbly.  
  
Even before the destruction of the Silver Millennium and the Moon, Sailor Pluto had been the mysterious guardian of the Gates of Time. Rarely seen, she had still been a great influence throughout the solar system. She had been the leader of the Outer Scouts, as Mina had been the leader of the Inner. Serena lead both groups but even back on the Moon, she had been intimidated by the otherworldly wisdom that Pluto seemed to give off.  
  
Serena had thought that she, as well as the other Outers, were like her Inners and had lost their memories. Apparently she had been wrong.  
  
"Please, stand." Serena managed to say through her confusion.  
  
Pluto rose to her feet and began to talk.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena stared out at the sky, looking in vain for the moon. It was too cloudy out tonight to see anything. In her head she was trying to take in everything that Pluto had told her before returning to her Gates after swearing to come and fight with them at the final battle. Serena had understood the danger of her leaving her post and the great significance of that promise. No matter when, Pluto would abandon her post to fight for her Princess.  
  
Their enemies were from the future, sent here to try and stop the future from turning out the way it does. A future apparently, Serena isn't working a simple nine to five job at an office but is ruling over the Earth.  
  
And the very person she was fighting was her own daughter.  
  
Oh god.  
  
Serena glanced at the dark man standing beside her.  
  
Their daughter.  
  
Rini.  
  
How was she supposed to deal with this? How could she fight her own daughter? How could she HAVE a daughter? Well, okay, she had always wanted to have a family someday. And she knew that she wanted Darien to be the father to any children she might have but...Well, she always figured that she'd have to get married and give birth before she ever saw her child.  
  
Her daughter.  
  
This was just wrong. Was she ever going to be able to have a happy family life? All being Sailor Moon did was screw up her family. First her mother on the Moon had died in a stupid war, then her parents on earth had washed their hands of her and now her future child was trying to kill her.  
  
Pluto had said that Rini had been captured while trying to find her. That the Wiseman had turned her- twisting her memories of her childhood into a harsh parody of the truth. Pluto hadn't been able to say anything about the other man, the one that Rei had seen in her vision holding Rini. She said he was from outside of the Solar System and had been brought here by the Wiseman as well. Pluto couldn't say whether he had come willingly or if he too had been manipulated like Rini.  
  
As Serena stared blankly at the sky, she felt two strong arms wrap themselves around her. The warmth of Darien's body felt nice against the chill night air. Finally the clouds seemed to part, allowing the rays of the moon to fall upon the couple.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Serena asked quietly.  
  
"I don't know." Darien answered, "But we'll figure something out. I know it."  
  
Serena smiled sadly and hugged the arms that were wrapped around her, "We had...will have...have a daughter."  
  
"She is probably beautiful, like her mother." Darien replied.  
  
"We have to save her." Serena said fiercely, "We have to."  
  
"Shh. We will. We will. Don't worry." Darien said, resting his chin on the top of her head as her rocked her back and forth.  
  
As Serena leaned back into her lover's embrace she thought about what else the Guardian of Time had said.  
  
The other information Pluto had brought them concerned the last two of Darien's generals. Pluto had said what little she had seen of the future, indicated that they needed all of the generals to fight with them as well. Pluto had told them that she had been able to sense Malachite's location but Jadeite seemed to be oddly missing whenever she had searched for him.  
  
Mina had seemed willing to look for Malachite.  
  
Rei...Rei just hadn't said anything. At all.  
  
Serena knew that she would have to talk to both of her friends about this. And soon. She had already postponed one conversation with Mina about Malachite. And Rei needed to actually talk about what she was feeling. Serena knew that the girl was probably confused right now. There had to be a way to help her through this.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena and Darien eventually came back inside and they began to plan what they were all going to do. If time really was running out they had to act fast and collect their two missing generals.  
  
Ami had run scans through the local directories in the area that Pluto had told them to look for Malachite, central Russia. She found several possible people that might be him. The plan was to go and check out each of the addresses that Ami had given them.  
  
No matter how they wracked their brains or what they tried though, Jadeite remained missing. It was as if he simply didn't exist.  
  
They had all decided to stay in the temple that night. There was no point in going to their respective homes. Not when it was safer together and they would all be leaving together in the morning. Not surprisingly, even though they were all bone tired, no one was able to get much sleep.  
  
And so, when the peaceful night sky erupted into flames, they all rushed out together to see what was going on.  
  
Apparently they had less time than they had hoped.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"We have to do it now." The tall woman in black said.  
  
"I agree. You are finally strong enough and Sailor Moon still hasn't assembled her entire team." Helios said- his eyes closed as he concentrated on the spell he was performing.  
  
He was sending a message to Sailor Moon; one that there was no way she could miss. It was time for a final battle in this war- one where he and his beloved chose the time and place. One where Sailor Moon and her reign over the future would be destroyed once and for all. Where all the crimes of the past and future would finally be set right and they could finally have everything they wanted.  
  
Rini looked at the man beside her and smiled, knowing what he was thinking.  
  
Soon. Soon this will all be over.  
  
On her neck, hanging by a fragile silver chain, a black crystal pulsed with energy.  
  
* * * * *  
  
See, you should all love me now. This is to make up for the shortness of the last chapter. One quick note: Miko633 is an awsome, SM trivia goddess! Thanks for the help with Pluto!  
  
As always, any issues/problems/mistakes were most likely cheerfully done by me after my poor beta, Mercural1, got done fixing the old lot. She's such a trooper.  
  
Now, on to those reviewer responses. There's fewer this time, thank heaven.  
  
roswellachick - woo hoo. I caught this right before I posted. I did one last check in the reviews. Anyways, yea. Hope this helps you through finals and takes some of the pain out of studying. And good luck!  
  
Mage Raistlin - hee hee. Thanks. I actually do love writing this. There are just days when I realize how *long* I've been writing this and wonder if I'll actually ever finish. But I do know that without all the cool people out there reading this and helping (and occasionally threatening) I never would have gotten this far.  
  
Ocianne - well...I hope that this answered some of your questions. And hey, at least its a quick update.  
  
angel313 - your wish, is my command oh wonderful reviewer.  
  
secrets - only outer making it into this fic is Pluto. Mal and Jadeite are coming soon though. Should be fun.  
  
Jabba1 - umm...*looks at the story*...fluff? How about just a really quick update? Deal?  
  
Usako4life - Well, I hope this makes up for the shortness and lateness of the last chapter. I realize we are lacking in the fluff but there was some serious S/D time here. Does that count at all?  
  
Ellen - hee hee. I actually plan on have Sere's parent's redeem themselves. Well, her Dad at least. So you can't beat him up.  
  
Miko633 - hee hee. Hey. Thanks. Apparently I have you to thank for the Pluto info. I actually like the idea that Pluto has been there at the Gates forever. Adds to her mystery.  
  
Oholibamah - Thank you! That is awesome. I love the fact that new people are still finding this fic and enjoying it. And I understand about being picky in choosing your fanfic. I can be a total snob sometimes. Don't tell anyone that though, okay?  
  
esther - Happy Holidays!!! I'm going to have to go check out that story you mentioned. I'm always up for a good fic. And sorry, looks like you'll have to bug me another time to update. I'm actually really proud of how quickly I got this written and out.  
  
happygolucky111 - nope! mwahahahaha! But I will give you this. Serena's parents will be coming in again. And they'll be redeeming themselves.  
  
missaw - I know the last chapter was short. But I really was serious when I told people that I had already started this one. I think people don't believe me. lol. That's okay. I didn't really believe me either. Anyway, I realize this didn't have major fluff but there was a Sere/Dare moment there. Hope that helped.  
  
BenRG - Yes!!! I take back all the mean things I've ever said about reviewers inspiring plot. I was seriously lost on where Jadeite was. Now I know. Woot! I could kiss you. But I'm going to go write more instead.  
  
Sailor Momoiro Hoshi - lol! Thats awesome. Thanks. Umm...so how does the interdemensional cookie jar work? Oh man, I just had this weird inspiration to work that into the story...  
  
Sailor Phoenix - Your wish, is my command, oh great reader and reviewer.  
  
Kaji1 - Happy Holidays!!! Hope this counts as a gift to you all.  
  
lina - you know, I've been getting that a lot. I think its some sort of conspiracy. But hey, Sere and Dare got a moment in here.  
  
Phoeaix - hee hee. Yea, well, I'm trying to make up for my bad updating skills. Just don't expect this to happen often.  
  
Kitsune Moonstar - Thanks. I loved that quote. What is the play that you are working on?  
  
X5-452Star - hey thanks. I'm glad you got that all out of the last chapter. I had realized that I hadn't spent a lot of time on Rei in this fic and I love the relationship between Serena and her so I decided to write it. Those two are so close. One of the things that I remember from the anime is that it was always Rei who was the last to leave Sere's side in the final battles. Kind of says a lot about their friendship.  
  
Mercurial1 - Hey now, be nice to Miko. She helped the story. 


	33. Divided

Lita stood looking at the young woman that she had just met but had known for several lifetimes. She stood there, her hair flying like a banner of blonde defiance behind her, watching the sky with absolutely no expression on her face. It was like Serena wasn't there anymore. Lita suddenly saw a warrior where a very scared and confused woman had been standing mere moments ago. A warrior whose strength was something that even Lita never wanted to fight against.  
  
Next to her she could feel Nephrite's reassuring presence. Everything had been happening so quickly that they hadn't had time to continue to work out what was between them and how they were going to deal with it. His presence was like some twisted miracle, unbelievably wonderful and yet so full of pain that she still couldn't decide if it was good or bad. But it was reassuring to know that he was there, at her side once again in the face of this new threat. An old familiarity that she hadn't even known that she had been missing.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Ami stood with her friends and her lover, glaring up at the message in the sky. They never got a break. This was just one more thing, one more pain to add to the ever-growing list. She tried to hang on to her control, the calm that had always been her trademark in the past, but it was so hard when every time she turned around fate was kicking her friends again.  
  
A pair of strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist, pulling her against a firm chest. It was as if Zoicite's warmth was able to seep into her very core and give her the calm that she had been struggling so hard to recapture just a moment before. As if only with him was she able to truly be in control of herself.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Mina watched the sky and scanned the horizon for any threats. This was bad. It meant that they might not have enough time to do what they needed to do. Not if Pluto was correct in them needing the other two missing Generals and their strength in this fight.  
  
Her general was still missing. Malachite. Her white haired lover. She knew where he was now, could see him again, maybe have another chance at happiness. It seemed impossible. There was too much pain and anger and history between them to ever have a chance of making it work. But somehow it had worked for Ami. The girl had worked a miracle as far as Mina was concerned. And now Lita and Nephrite were trying to duplicate Ami's miracle. It was still strained between those two but she had caught the longing glances and the occasion brief touch. And there were moments when it was like they forgot the past and everything between them just clicked.  
  
She wanted that. Was almost willing to risk anything to have it. Almost.  
  
Some prices may be too high to pay.  
  
Even for the goddess of love.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Rei glanced around. They were out of time. And she didn't have time to wallow in self pity. She had something to do. For her princess.  
  
And maybe even for herself.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena stood staring into the sky. She could feel the eyes of the others staring at her back but she couldn't bring herself to turn away yet from what the sky held for her.  
  
Written in fire across the darkened sky was the message.  
  
~Sailor Moon. Let us end this. Today. 12:00 pm. Noon. The Stars Tower.~  
  
It appeared that her daughter had decided that it was time to end this once and for all. The Stars Tower was in the center of the city. Serena didn't want to think about why it had been chosen. There were so many people living and working around and in that building that if their fight became out of control innocents could die.  
  
There was no way that she could ignore the challenge either. She had to go. If she didn't there was no telling what her daughter would do. No, she had to go, even if she wasn't ready.  
  
Out of the corner of her eye she could see Darien, staring at the sky. She turned her head to look at him and it was like looking into a mirror. In his eyes she could see all of her emotions, the hurt, the pain, the confusion and the emotions that had no name being reflected back at her. And there was an understanding there of what they needed to do.  
  
They had to split up their strength. Mina, Darien and Zoicite had to go after Malachite in Russia. They had to at least get one of the two missing Generals. Ami could stay behind and continue looking for Jadeite. And Serena would take the rest with her to go fight.  
  
Turning around together, they faced the others together and began to tell them their plan.  
  
"No."  
  
Serena whipped around to stare at Rei in astonishment, "No?"  
  
"Ami has to go with you to the fight. You'll need her." Rei said calmly.  
  
"Rei...We need all of Darien's generals for this fight. Until we find Jadeite we'll be under strength. I know you may not..." Serena began, trying to reason with her friend.  
  
"No." Rei interrupted, "I know where Jadeite is. I'll get him. You take Ami with you."  
  
Serena took a hesitant step forward, "You know where he is?"  
  
"Yes." Rei's tone let Serena know that she didn't want to talk about it, to answer the other girls' questions.  
  
Serena seemed to hesitate for a second before nodding once, "You'll need Darien to reawaken his memories."  
  
"Don't worry about that." Rei said, transforming into Sailor Mars.  
  
"But..." Serena said, confused.  
  
"I don't think he ever forgot." Rei said before teleporting away.  
  
The others stared at the spot where the Priestess had been standing a second ago, trying to understand that last cryptic message.  
  
Serena shook herself back into the present and looked at the others, "Mina, you still need to go get Malachite."  
  
Mina looked at her and nodded, "Let me grab some stuff and then we'll leave."  
  
Mina turned and ran back into the temple and the others followed, thinking of what the coming day would bring and what they would need to get through it.  
  
Serena stood outside and looked at Darien. He held open his arms and she ran into them.  
  
"Shh. It'll all be okay. We'll get through this. I promise." Darien whispered into her hair as he crushed her small frame to him.  
  
Serena finally released the control that she had been holding over body and sobbed quiet tears into Darien's shirt. She felt like she would have shaken apart if his arms hadn't been around her to hold her together.  
  
"I don't want you to go." She admitted quietly.  
  
"I don't want you to go either." Darien admitted, crushing her tighter to him, "I'm scared. Scared that I won't be able to make it back in time and you'll get hurt because I wasn't there. Scared that this will be the last time I ever hold you. All I want to do is grab you and run away from all of this, protect you from everything and let the world deal with this without us for once."  
  
Serena pulled back slightly to stare into Darien's eyes, "But we can't, can we?"  
  
Instead of answering, Darien leaned down and kissed her. The kiss held all the promises that they had ever made to one another, all their declarations of love, all their hope for the future in it. It was rough and desperate as they both tried to ignore the possibility that they may never get to do this again. Serena whimpered, fighting her bodies need for air in order to hold onto that kiss for another precious few seconds.  
  
Finally they pulled apart, gasping for air. The others came out of the temple, and the finally broke apart. Serena blinked back her tears as Darien walked over to Mina and Zoicite.  
  
"We'll be back." Mina promised solemnly, looking at her Princess.  
  
Darien merely stared into her eyes, "I love you."  
  
The three teleported away before anything else could be said or done.  
  
Turning away from the spot where her love had just disappeared from and looked at people standing at her back. Ami looked at her, her eyes full of understanding and Serena felt like kicking herself. She wasn't the only one who was watching a loved one leave.  
  
She walked over and offered Ami a small, comforting smile, "Time to hold up our end of things."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena, Ami, Lita, Nephrite transformed and teleported to the roof of the Star Tower. There were already police and news crews beginning to crawl all over the place. Apparently they hadn't been the only one to get the message.  
  
"We need a way to keep people out of here so that we can fight without worrying about them." Serena said, looking at the others.  
  
"What did you have in mind?" Lita asked.  
  
"Some sort of shield around the building." Serena said, looking at Ami, "What do you think?"  
  
"The building is huge. To do something like that will require a lot of energy." Ami said, pulling out her computer and typing in some questions.  
  
"I'm just looking for a simple barrier here. Something to keep the innocents out of the line of fire." Serena said, watching the police erecting their own barriers around the building.  
  
"Maybe we should talk to them, ask them to leave?" Nephrite asked quietly, as if unsure of the merits of his suggestion.  
  
Serena sighed, "We could try. I've never had any real contact with the authorities before. I was kind of hoping to avoid it."  
  
"Maybe it's not that good of an idea anyway. I don't think the new crews will leave such a story and the police won't leave a potential site of violence." Nephrite reasoned, "If we talk to them, they'll want to ask all sorts of questions like what is going on, too."  
  
Serena shuddered at the thought of trying to explain to someone what exactly was going on. They wouldn't be able to understand.  
  
"Hmmm..." Ami muttered, turning to look at Serena, "I think we could work something out. It'll take a lot of energy but I think if you were to tie the shield into the power of the Silver Crystal, we could hold it up. It is the only thing that we have that generates enough energy on its own to hold something of that size up. But it will be a serious drain on the Crystals power. You won't be able to use it for anything else while the shield is up."  
  
"Is there any other way of doing it?" Serena asked, worried at the thought of not being able to use the crystal in the upcoming fight.  
  
"The only other way is for two of us to pull out of the fight and hold the shield up ourselves. Two scouts could, between them, create a shield around something as large as this building. Truthfully, one could probably do it but if their concentration were to slip then it would fail. If there were two, they would be able to catch each others slips and hold it."  
  
"No." Serena shook her head, "That is not an option. There is no way that I am pulling any one out of this fight if we don't have to. We're too weak as it is, split up right now."  
  
"If we are going to do this, we should do it soon." Lita said, watching the people below, "Otherwise we'll be trapping people inside rather than out."  
  
Serena turned to Ami and pulled out the Crystal, "How do I do this?"  
  
Ami explained it as best she could, but in the end it was up to Serena, the only one who could really use the crystal and its power, to figure it out. It was like trying to tell someone how to move their arm. You knew that it could be done and how everything worked but it was almost impossible to tell someone else how to do it. In the end it was all instinct and experience. Instinct and experience that only Serena had.  
  
It took a couple minutes of tense concentration before the shield of blinding white energy flew up around them. The light was pure white and yet, after the initial blinding flash, it was something easy to look at. It was like looking at the glowing full moon, and just as mysterious. No one on the outside could see in anymore and only those that Serena chose to allow through could pass the barrier. The fight would be contained.  
  
Now, all that was left to do was wait and pray. Wait for 12:00 pm to come and pray that they would be able to hold on long enough for the others to come back.  
  
Serena closed her eyes and began to pray in earnest.  
  
* * * * *  
  
AN: Hey all. Umm..well...couple things. First is, I made a mistake in the last chapter. *scuffs her shoe* Pluto never was the leader of the outers like I said. But, I've devided that I'm not going to change it. I re read that section and liked the way it went sooo...think of this as one of those little quirks that make this a AU story. Yea. That sounds almost reasonable. And that is the only mistake I am publicly admitting to today *glances guiltily at Jedi Master Calriel*. I know there are others but I'll leave them for another chapter's confessions. Anyways, hats off to Miko for beating SM info into my thick skull. Second thing is that I went home for the holidays. That means that my writing will be slow to non existant since I don't have my computer at my parent's place and am going to be majorly busy. I will try to get something out but I make no promises.  
  
As always, thanks to Mercurial1 for putting up with me and trying to make this story readable.  
  
And before I forget  
  
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! Love ya all!  
  
On to the reviewer responses...  
  
S. L. Butterworth - hey you! Long time no hear. I'm glad to see you came back to read this and are still enjoying it. Hope to hear more from you!  
  
Mercury Guardian - Short? This is one of my longer chapter. Oh, you mean those last chapters...hee hee. Sorry, tired = bad jokes. Anyways, that is really cool to hear. I love the fact that people like the stroy enough to suggest it as a good read to others. At least I hope it was suggested as a good read rather than an avoid at all costs. *wink*  
  
Jedi Master Calriel - Hey, I'm just glad you didn't die. That would bum me out. *grins* Sorry to hear about the computer crashing though. I know how much of a pain in the butt that is to deal with. And thanks for pointing out the mistake. The problem is it has been awhile since I'm read or watched any SM so I am always forgetting little details like that. I think I need to just sit down one day here and watch the entire first season over again. Maybe that will help. In the meantime, at least I have awesome people to help my memory.  
  
Lil-PrincessK - So...know where Jadeite is yet? *evil laughter*  
  
Phoeaix - lol. Work is overratted anyways. I'm glad I can help you avoid it.  
  
kalinda - Thanks! I'll try and get the next chapter out fairly soon.  
  
Niamh. . . Arrr - Thanks! Yea, I'll try to watch the repetative phrases thing. I can't make any promises though. I'll admit to being rather fond of the boss lady comments. *grins*  
  
Sailorhawwienangel - Thanks! I'll try and get that next chapter out in a decent amount of time. Well...for me at least. missaw - Jaedite? Who's Jaedite? *evil laughter* I haven't had this much fun with the mystery in the stroy since the villians. And, truth be told, I am just as scared about people's reactions. Should be interesting though. And hopefully not too much hate mail.  
  
teenie17 - Thanks! I'll work on getting the next chapter out when I can. Promise! Janna Doe - Thanks. I know these parings aren't everyone's favorites but I wanted to write this story with a lot of the traditional characters and such. And as to your other request...AH!!! You had to ask that while I'm in one of my little slash moods. Now I have all these cool ideas for that story. Actually, this fic was suppost to have the characters dealing with that little bit of history too but I'm not sure if they'll get around to it. So...yea, I guess you could say that I'm considering it. BUT NOT TILL I FINISH THIS!!! (that was more directed at my own muses than you)  
  
Kitsune Moonstar - aww. Thanks. Here, you can share my cookies with me. *hands you a large cookie*  
  
serenity - as of right now, I think that there is no way that the other outer scouts are going to make an appearance in this story. I already feel like I have too many characters to deal with. And I do want this monster to end someday.  
  
firelightz - HI!!! Don't ask. Really. You don't want to know. The green bunnies with purple poka dots were really not my fault. They came through the walls all on their own. (Please ignore the author of this story, she is currently slightly delusional and hyped up on caffiene)  
  
Moonkid 2003-12-05 32 Anonymous hey man you need to keep going with this one got it.You are good at this suff keep it up I will make you  
  
MoS - a chad fan? hmm...sorry. Jaedite is not Chad. Though I do love Chad too. He is too cute. Especially with Rei. And kudos for being one of the only people to point out the big glaring hole in my story. Your right, I really haven't explained how the generals were re-born. I actually am hoping to go into that in more detail with Rei and Jaedite. Basically though, they weren't exactly re-born in the tradition sense. The silver crystal, while it was messing with everyones minds, just sorta inserted the generals back into the world with a full set of false memories about living human lives.  
  
lina - Glad you like the mature Serena. I know for a fact that I wouldn't have been able to write the character right the way she is done in the show or manga so I tweaked her into something I could write. Glad it seems to be working.  
  
Mara Roberts - You are right, that sounds wierd. I'll be going back sometime here and fixing it. Thanks for pointing that out. I'm really bad sometimes about editing my own stuff because I have this picture in my head of what is happening in the story and sometimes I don't pay enough attention to the wording while I'm rereading.  
  
happygolucky111 - I'm writing. Sadly, this chapter has actually been done for a couple days but due to the fact that I'm back in good old Minnesota and Christmas is coming up, it took me awhile to go over it one last time and post. Sorry.  
  
Kajino-san/Marie-san - lol! Thanks. Its alway cool to hear from people. Especially when they start their reviews with 'all hail Denial'.  
  
Bluejello - shhh! You should be proud. people haven't been this jumpy and worried about a character since the villians.  
  
anonymous - alright, well I had two anonymous reviews. If you are the same person, cool. If not, sorry! Anyways, glad I got you to laugh out loud. Sanity is overratted anyways.  
  
secrets - hey, no problem. I love getting a chance to respond to people who review. Its really cool to hear what people think about what I am writing and so far, even the critisisms have been really nice and useful.  
  
QueenofMercury - aww. Thanks. Some of the best praise is from other authors. I just hope that I can keep the story going and be as entertaining and interesting with the end as the begining.  
  
Usako4life - lol. Sorry, you actually managed to hit on something that I was worried about, Lita and Mal. Their story kinda got interupted there by the bad guys and everything is starting to move a whole lot faster. But they will still get their moments in there, promise. And the story is by no means done yet.  
  
crystal-cherry - Not exactly soon, but hey, its an update.  
  
angel313 - On chapter, coming up.  
  
BenRG - I'm not really sure yet how the whole final battle(s) are going to play out. I have lots of ideas but until the chapter is actually written, I'm not sure which ones will work or not. Hopefully though, this will work and the characters will cooperate by giving me a happy ending.  
  
Miko633 - hey! Sorry about that Pluto thing. Yes, I should have known better but it has been a long time since I've watched the anime or read the manga. I did consider fixing it but I kinda liked the idea of Pluto as the leader. Forgive me?  
  
chibi-ami - Hope that psych exam went well. And I am always glad to provide an alternative to studying. hee hee.  
  
X5-452Star - Thanks. I always loved the relationship between Rei and Serena. Rei, as a character, is so complex. She always seemed like the last one standing beside Serena in all of the major fights. I always thought that it said a lot about their relationship as friends.  
  
Mercurial1 - Once again, thanks. Sorry this took so long to get out. It was entirely my fault as I was running around like mad trying to do other things in time for christmas.  
  
Chicken Stars - hee hee. Everyone is all worried about Jaedite. I wonder why. Anyways, Hope this works for you and you contiue to enjoy the story.  
  
roswellachick - lol. Hope your finals went well and this chapter is all kinds of good. 


	34. Choices

Rei looked at the blank landscape laid out before her and tried to steady her erratic heartbeat. All around her snow lay, pristine, hiding the secrets of this place. A cold wind howled through, raising the hairs on the back of her neck with its eerie call.  
  
She knew this place. It was the place her last vision had shown her. At first she had been to blind to focus on anything other than her anger at Jadeite. But the picture in her head hadn't gone away, not like the other visions had once she had told them to Serena. Every time she had closed her eyes it had been there, haunting her and teasing her until she had slowly began to notice the details of the vision. They were little things, hidden in the background behind the painful image of her old lovers face, but she had begun to finally notice them. It had taken her awhile to piece the clues together and even longer to believe that she was actually right. But it was hard to deny in the face of this place.  
  
Jadeite was here. Somewhere in this place, trapped and...asleep. Or something like sleep. She didn't understand what had happened to him really but she figured that she could ask him when she found him.  
  
She had a lot of things that she wanted to talk to him about.  
  
Taking a deep breath of the frigid air, Rei took her first steps forward.  
  
As she moved, it was like the wind itself fought her movement, pushing against her. The deep snow impeded her further and she cursed the fact that the power of Mars hadn't given her tall boots like Sailor Moon. Then again, on Mars there had never been any need to deal with these kinds of barbaric conditions. Mars was a warm planet. Only a truly twisted personality would think that cold weather and snow was a good thing.  
  
Slowly, step by frozen step, she fought her way forward and gradually she began to see a dark shape looming on the horizon. As she focused her attention on it she could make out the outlines of some sort of cave and she knew that was where she wanted to go. Knew with a certainty that defied all logic.  
  
She approached the cave cautiously, wary of this entire place. It reeked of an old evil. If her guess was right and this was indeed one of Beryl's old fortresses then there was no telling what remained here, even after her defeat. If she was not careful she may find herself facing the remains of that evil legacy all by herself.  
  
Once she entered the cave, the wind died suddenly. It was as if someone had flipped a switch and turned it off. The sudden loss caused her to stumble forward into the all-encompassing darkness of the cave. Every step echoed off of unseen walls as Rei groped her way farther forward.  
  
Rei stopped and look back at where she had come from and was dismayed to realize that she could barely make out the cave entrance, even though she had gone only a few steps inside. She needed some sort of light to see by if she wanted to go any further.  
  
Cupping her hands together, she called forth the fire that lived in her core as a warrior of Mars. Tapping into that inner fire, she called it forth into the world the way she did when fighting. But instead of grabbing on to the great roaring power of the fire and ripping it into this plane, this time she gently coaxed a small ball of fire to materialize in her hands.  
  
She had never done anything like this before. When she opened her eyes to see the small fire burning in her hands she gasped, waiting for it to burn her hands. But the pain never came. The fire cheerfully danced in her hand, the warmth no more than pleasant. Actually, now that she noticed, she was no longer cold at all. And best of all, there was light. She could now see the tunnel around her and the path forward.  
  
Finally, after what seemed an eternity of walking, Rei saw something instead of the cold rock walls. There was a light up ahead, still faint but growing stronger with every step forward that she took. And she saw something else. It took her awhile to figure out what it was that she was looking at. It wasn't until she was right up to it that she realized what it was.  
  
Laying in front of her, encased in transparent black rock was Jadeite. Rei stared down at him, taking is every detail and comparing it to the picture in her head. They were the same, down to the last fall of eyelashes on his cheeks and the curve of his lips. Looking at him brought it all back - all the suppressed memories, all the pain and the joy, the love and the betrayal.  
  
"Damn it!" Rei screamed, throwing the fire in her hands at the wall, as her anger demanded some form of outlet before she burst.  
  
The fire hit the wall, but instead of disappearing, it grew till it was a column of flame blazing before her. Rei stared in shock at the fire, and felt the warmth of it, almost painful, on her skin.  
  
"Rei, Princess of Mars, Priestess of the Fire, the time has come to choose." A voice said. It was not loud but there was something about it that filled the room with its authority, as if, even in a crowd this voice could whisper and all would still hear. It was the voice of the sacred fire that she had cared for all her life. But she had never heard it as clearly as she did right now.  
  
"Choose?" Rei asked, bewildered.  
  
"The man before you has been trapped there by his old mistress and the evil that was allowed to consume him soul. Denied the freedom of death, unlike his fellows, he has not been granted the Moon's mercy or the Silver Crystals gift of a new life. Now it is time for you to choose his fate." The Voice of the Fire stated.  
  
"No." Rei shook her head in denial, "You can not make me this man's judge."  
  
"Choose his fate." The Voice repeated.  
  
"I..." Rei looked down at the face of the man placed into her hands and choked on the words she was going to say.  
  
It would be so easy. All she had to do was choose. Any fate she wanted would be this man's. She could have him die, or simply be leave him forever trapped in this cave. But Pluto had said that they needed him to fight with them in the upcoming battle. She couldn't betray her princess. Not when the stakes were so high. Not when Serena was depending on her to come through. And a traitorous part of her whispered that there was a chance for a future between them. That they could be together once again like Ami and Zoicite seemed to have managed to do.  
  
But what right did she have to determine this man's fate? She was no goddess to stand in judgment over man. What if she chose wrong? She was too emotional to be an impartial judge. Wasn't this illegal? Too many conflicting feeling were fighting each other in her head and heart. Anger and regret pounding at her in unending waves, washing away her ability to make any sort of decision.  
  
Slowly she fell to her knees beside her lover. Suddenly it was all too much. The emotions broke through her carefully constructed walls to overwhelm her. This last choice was too much for her. She was sick of fighting, of being strong and wise and all that other stuff that people expected her to be as a priestess, as a scout. She couldn't do this anymore. Not and stay sane. She needed something...some sort of support.  
  
Rei closed her eyes, trying to find some sort of inner peace, where she could think about her decision. Years of practice at meditation seemed to abandon her when she most needed the calm it offered. A single clear thought broke through the tangled mess.  
  
I wish Serena were here.  
  
Her Princess always seemed to be able to make these decisions. Even when everyone else doubted, Serena had always chosen the right path. Rei knew that the blonde would have been able to do the same here. But instead the choice had been put onto her shoulders. Her too emotional shoulders. But Serena always listened to her emotions. Maybe...maybe Rei shouldn't be trying to judge impartially. Maybe she should try what Serena did. Make her choice with her heart rather than her head.  
  
And her heart had already decided what it wanted. Rei was surprised by how easy the answer was once she stopped thinking of all the maybes and what ifs. It was an answer that she had been looking for ever since she had remembered who she was.  
  
The fire flared up, as if sensing that she was ready, "Choose."  
  
Rei lifted her head proudly, "Free him of all that has bound him. From the spells and the prison so that he may choose his own fate once again. I will not choose his fate for him. Each must choose their own."  
  
"So be it."  
  
The fire flared up once again and shot straight at the place where Jadeite lay. For a moment the flames engulfed him. She could almost see the fire burning away the fetters that had bound him.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Mina raced ahead of the others towards the buildings that Zoicite had claimed held Malachite's readings. She knew that she must look like a mad woman, narrowly dodging the people crowded on the street. Behind her she could hear Zoicite and Darien following at her heels. They all knew that time was short. They had already lost precious hours narrowing down where exactly they were headed. Zoicite's computer readings were only able to give them a general direction at first. They were finally close enough though to be able to get a better reading.  
  
"Where?" Mina gasped out, stopping as Zoicite looked down at his computer.  
  
"There." Zoicite said, pointing straight in front of them at a tall building, reflecting the sun off of a thousand windows and shiny chrome doors.  
  
"Right." Mina said, charging forward again.  
  
As the trio ran forward, she glimpsed the startled look of the security at the front desk. Angry shouts followed them as they continued to the stairs.  
  
"Up!" Zoicite yelled, running with his eyes glued to the screen, which was now making all sorts of interesting beeping noises.  
  
Behind them, there were more angry shouts and the sounds of booted feet pounding up the stairs after them. Let them try and keep up, Mina thought with a smile, putting on an extra burst of speed. Darien ran at her side and she couldn't help grinning mischievously at him. He just shook his head in mock exasperation.  
  
Not that he could really say anything. This was his plan after all. Run in, grab Malachite and get out and back to Serena as fast as possible. They could talk to Malachite while running. A simple smash and grab job. Hopefully the person they were stealing would be cooperative.  
  
"Here!" Zoicite yelled and without breaking stride Mina turned and burst through the door out of the stairwell into a richly appointed hallway, full of men and women in business suits and carrying papers importantly back and forth from the different offices. The ones closest to the stairs turned in surprise to stare at the three strangers. Mina didn't even spare them a glance. They weren't who she was looking for.  
  
"Left!" Mina took the turn and barely missed slamming into a young intern who muttered as Darien and Zoicite ran around him.  
  
"There." Zoicite said, pointing at an office at the end of the hall.  
  
A woman behind a desk barely had time to stand before Mina had hit the door. She ignored the secretary's indignant squeak.  
  
And then, suddenly, she was in Malachite's presence. It was like someone had just thrown a cold bucket of water on her. Up until this moment she hadn't allowed herself to think about what it would be like to see him again.  
  
He rose slowly, the picture of perfect control and calm as he regarded her. His platinum hair was pulled tightly back into a tight ponytail, leaving his face bare as he looked at her with a look that she remembered from the past. It was a look that he had used to have when she asked him to do something that he considered beneath his dignity - skeptical and indulgent. Something low in her stomach clenched as that look was turned on her again after all these years.  
  
Behind her Darien had slammed the door shut and locked it, "We have to hurry."  
  
"May I help you?" Malachite smooth voice washed over her, the Russian accent coming through as he spoke flawless Japanese.  
  
"Mina, the window." Darien said pointing and she shook herself out of her stupor. Behind Malachite was a huge window and best of all, it looked over several rooftops. They could leave that way instead of risking the wrath of the secretary outside. Having a secretary of her own, Mina knew that there were few things as scary as that and would have preferred to face the security guards that were also undoubtedly also waiting outside for them or would be soon.  
  
Zoicite ran forward and opened the window, glancing around, before announcing with satisfaction, "Easily done."  
  
Mina stepped towards Malachite and grinned. This entire trip was making her feel like some sort of little kid, knowingly getting into trouble but still having a lot of fun. Seeing Malachite again only increased that. She had always enjoyed messing with the man's over abundant pride. It was nice to know that some things hadn't changed.  
  
"Time to go." she said, still grinning.  
  
"I think not." The older man said, still maintaining that perfect poise.  
  
"Plan says we talk while we run." Darien said, grabbing the businessman by the arm and jumping out the window.  
  
Mina and Zoicite followed, landing gracefully on the next roof. Malachite didn't get a chance to recover as Darien started running across the rooftop, dragging him along with him, Mina on one side and Zoicite on the other.  
  
"Don't worry, we just want to talk to you." Mina said as they jumped to the next roof.  
  
"Who...who are you people?" Malachite gasped out as they landed. He stumbled a step but Darien held on to him and he regained his footing.  
  
"Complicated question." Darien muttered, continuing running. They had to get far enough away from the site of the kidnapping before they stopped to talk.  
  
"Which we will be glad to answer." Mina said, bracing herself for another jump.  
  
"Preferably on the ground though." Zoicite said, grinning at his old friend who was looking a little less than calm as he watched the ground flash by under his feet as they sailed through the air before landing on yet another rooftop.  
  
Mina glanced at the sky and wondered how the others were doing and how much time they had left.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Lita glanced over the edge of the building at the people that were still surging around the building. The crowd seemed to have grown, held back by police barricades and the shield that Serena and Ami had constructed. Police in riot gear were testing the shield, looking for any way inside the building.  
  
Serena watched her friend. Lita had been pacing, trying to get rid of some nervous energy. So far there had been no news from any of the others. Even Pluto was still absent but Serena had faith in the Guardian of Time. If she had promised to fight with them, then she would.  
  
Nephrite walked over and whispered something to the brunette scout and Serena was glad that the pair was together. It seemed like every hour that they were together strengthened the bond between them. There were still rough patches to be overcome in the future but they would do it. She knew it.  
  
Serena glanced up into the sky, still darkened by some magic and hoped that she would be around to see everything work out. She had been thinking about the future a lot over the last couple hours, and how the past affected the future. It seemed sometimes like her life was trapped in some sort of never ending cycle of fighting and pain, joy and love, sucking those around her into the cycle with her.  
  
The silver crystal seemed to be the thing that held everything together. It was the thing that held them all to life and gave them the power to fight, but it was also what brought their enemies to them, those who desired its power without understanding what it truly was. The crystal wasn't just some tool to be used. It was like it was alive, with its own plans and thoughts and only helped those it chose to. The Generals rebirth was a perfect example. Serena knew that she had not done that. At the very most she had wished for the crystal to put everything back to the way it had been. But she had been too tired to think clearly enough to do anything about it. And yet the crystal had, seemingly on its own, brought not only her scouts but the generals as well back to life and gave them all new memories to replace those of fighting and Beryl and the Moon. The generals had gotten more false memories than the scouts but it had still been the same idea. And, from what she could tell by talking to Zoicite and Nephrite, the crystal hadn't stopped at just playing with their memories but had also given new and false memories to others to help them fit in to the world.  
  
The thought scared her a little. If the crystal could do that, what else could it do? What was it going to do in the future? She knew that her mother had once been able to use it, drawing on more of its power than Serena could. But she had died before Serena had been able to learn the kind of control she had over it. Maybe someday she would unlock some of its secrets but she knew that it would be a gradual process and that there was no way she would ever learn them all. Too much had been lost when the Moon fell.  
  
And now she was forced to use this weapon that she barely understood to fight against her own daughter who had come from the future to fight against her. Pluto had claimed that her daughter had been tricked and corrupted by magic but Serena couldn't help but wonder what had happened in the future. Maybe there was a good reason why her daughter wanted her dead. Maybe it wasn't all corruption. Maybe something had happened in the future that shouldn't have happened and it was all her fault.  
  
Serena grimaced at herself. Thoughts like that were pointless. The future could be changed. If she had learned anything, nothing was truly impossible and she was going to make sure that she saved her daughter from whatever had gotten a hold of her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
AN: Hey all, once again, sorry it took me awhile to get this out to you. Mercurial kicked me and told me to write so you have her to thank. Hope you are all well and, if you're back in school like me, surviving the evil profs and over abundance of readings. Oh! And thenks to Bluejello for certain ideas for this story when I had been stumped. Without her I'd still be frowning at my computer screen, waiting for inspiration.  
  
Kouriko - hee hee. I used to watch Sailor Moon as a kid. It was on before I went to school (which for my school meant 6am, a time slot in which a lot of stupidity can be found funny). I loved the fact that it had a more complex story line than any other cartoons I had seen. Now, as a college student desperatly clinging to my childhood (can you say Peter Pan sysndrom?) I started writing and fell in love with it all over again. It is always cool to hear that I am doing the old story credit.  
  
lazzykane - I MISSED YOU!!! hee hee. I do occasionally notice when people drop off the face of the earth. Glad to see not only you, but your computer as well, are alive again.  
  
dreams-of-julie - woo hoo! Don't you just love the suspense? Except of course when the stupid author doesn't write the next chapter in *forever* and just leads you dangling there...oh, wait...nevermind.  
  
Usako4life - hee hee. Hey to you too. I love your reviews, they always make me smile. Well, I hope this answers some of those questions.  
  
minimoon4me - I am getting to the final battle, probably starting in the next chapter. But, like most SM battles, it will be complicated and drawn out.  
  
the caffiene fairy - I GOT A "SPIFFING"!!! Too cool. (I know, I know, easily made happy...)  
  
crystal-cherry - this chapter is a bit longer than my norm. I know that they tend to be short, and I'll admit to not working too hard to make them longer. I usually set a goal of 5pgs on Word, and then find a nice place to end after that before I post. But I will see what I can do. Maybe increase that goal a bit.  
  
blackunicorn - A lot of people have said they like the realism in this and I'm glad. I'm not a super nice person like Usagi/Serena in the anime and have a hard time thinking like that at times. I identify better with Rei and thus my version of SM had to have some harder edges to her. I'm just glad no one is trying to lynch me for this. ;)  
  
S. L. Butterworth - hee hee. Thanks. I thought the last chapter would count as an x-mas gift to the people who read this. Hope your x-mas and holidays were fun!  
  
Bluejello - hee hee. One, but she retracted it right away, thinking she was wrong. I was amused. Well, you will have to let me know what you think.  
  
roswellachick - eating out of the palm of my hand, hmmm? *looks at her palm and finds a starburst* okay, you can can have a yellow one or an orange one, but my roommate ate all the pink ones. hee hee. I just wrote that and even I am not sure what I'm babbling about. Ah well...  
  
Energeezer - Thank you. I am glad you did check back. I know that I sometimes take a bloody long time to update so I can understand giving up on me. And I am really glad that you have enjoyed the story thus far.  
  
Kail Ceannai - I want to thank you for the critisism. Especially since you were able to tell me what it was you didn't like, which I know can sometimes be hard. I think I know what you didn't like in the last chapter, which I will admit was on the shorter side. There wasn't anything really happening either. Anyways, I can't promise anything but I will try and do better. Thanks again!  
  
Phoeaix - Oh man, a DBZ marathon? Were you still sane at the end?  
  
Miko633 - *hugs* Thanks for understanding on the Pluto thing. And you shouldn't doubt yourself. You were right. Jadite is exactly where you guessed.  
  
Kitsune Moonstar Still not quite to the Jad/Rei confrontation yet. Or the Mina/Mal one either. But the next chapter should be fun. Well, if you like angst and fighting.  
  
missaw - the fluff fans are always so easy to spot, their the ones giggling. Not that I'm a fluff fan...well, maybe a little...oh damn.  
  
Adyen - okay...so much to say. I totally agree with you on the past/future time lines thing. But I am thinking that Rini so believes that SM needs to die that she is willing to die as well to accomplish it and isn't thinking about paradoxes. I will try to fix the timeline though when I am done screwing with it.  
  
avalon - thanx! Hope this holds up to expectation.  
  
Jedi Master Calriel - Congrats!!! You get a cookie!!! And this t-shirt that says 'I know waaaaay to much SM trivia'. You better watch out or I'll be e-mailing you next time I can't figure out what new hell I want to put my characters through.  
  
happygolucky111 - Thank you. The praying is something that I think of when people are really in trouble and out of their depth. Appealing to something greater than yourself for help. And SM has always had this angel thing going on. Yea. Anyways. I'm babblig. I'll stop now.  
  
Lil-PrincessK - Don't worry, there wasn't much of a hint in the chapters where Jadite was. Just in the old SM story.  
  
BenRG - Hmmm...good point. Neph is a quiet one but Zoicite was with Mina. At least, I think so in the section you were talking about. Either way, I needed someone to have those ideas and all the others were busy. Basically, Neoh was the only one to volunteer when a desperate author called.  
  
Chicken Stars - And Happy belated New Years to you!  
  
ConstantElation - Ja? German? Or just sleep deprived? I know I am...  
  
Jabba1 - sorry, I'll work on that fluff. I think some is needed to keep the poor characters sane, don't you? hee hee 


	35. The Battle Begins

* For a summary of the entire story so far, see the re-cap after reviewer responses *  
  
* * * * *  
  
Rei watched in awe as the fire flared up around the body before dying down again, leaving Zoicite standing in front of her, blinking stunned eyes. She watched as confusion settled onto features that had for so long been held immobile. Jadeite looked around him, frowning, before raising his own hands in front of his face, as if trying to figure out who they belonged to.  
  
She must have done something, made some subtle movement, for suddenly that intense gaze was turn upon her, pinning her to the spot where she stood.  
  
"Rei?" The sound of her name was so faint that she barely heard it.  
  
She felt trapped under that gaze. Her mind had completely abandoned her, unable to think of anything even remotely useful to say. Somewhere along the line her stomach had decided to try and crawl out through her throat, blocking off her vocal cords and preventing her from saying anything even if by some miracle her brain began to work again.  
  
Jadeite took a step closer and said again, louder this time, "Rei? Is that you?"  
  
Rei felt herself flinch away as he raised a hand towards her. She wanted to run. Anything, just to not have to face the next few minutes with this man. But her pride, a thing that she never had denied having, finally rose up in her. She was not going to run. She was stronger than that. She had a duty to fulfill and she wasn't about to fail just because she needed to talk to an old lover once again. She could do this. Her pride would not allow her to do otherwise.  
  
"Jadeite." She finally found the power to speak again.  
  
"What...where are we?" Jadeite asked, the confusion still heavy on his features.  
  
"What do you remember?" She asked, keeping her voice steady.  
  
Jadeite's gaze turned inward, "The last thing I remember was...no. That's not right. We were on Mars...No. Earth. And then we were...Why were we fighting. Oh my god. Beryl. She..."  
  
Rei watched as Jadeite fought to sort through the memories, put them in order and figure out the truth for himself. She felt an old stirring as she watched the man's pain and stomped down on it ruthlessly. Later she could deal with such feelings. Now Serena needed him to come and fight. Everything else was secondary.  
  
"Where are we?" Jadeite asked, his gaze once again focusing on her instead of the thoughts running through his head.  
  
"We are in the prison Beryl made for you. The Princess and her Prince have need of you once again. To fight at their sides. Will you come to our aide?" Rei said, falling back on old formality of long dead courts.  
  
"But..." Jadeite paused and looked at her. She watched as a pride as great as her own was awoken, with a similar inner fire and it answered the challenge that she had thrown down. "It will be my honor to serve my Prince and his Lady in this fight."  
  
Rei nodded and turned to lead the way out of the cave.  
  
"And when this duty is finished, what is to be my fate?" His voice questioned, empty of all emotion.  
  
Rei stood, staring straight ahead into the darkness, "You are free to choose your own fate."  
  
"And if I chose a fate with you?" he asked.  
  
"I am also free to choose what I want. You can not choose for me. As I can not choose for you." She replied, still not turning.  
  
Jadeite appeared at her side and looked at her, "We'll worry about the future in the future. For now, we have a duty."  
  
Rei nodded, "We have a duty."  
  
And together they began walking out of the cave, the fire held in Mar's hand pushing the darkness away from them.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Mina stopped when Darien stopped, Malachite still being dragged along with them and Zoicite following easily. They were far enough away from the site of the kidnapping that no one would be looking for them out here. They stood on the roof of some building, overlooking old factories, only half functioning with tired workers occasionally coming in and out to smoke. No one was paying any attention to those on the roof but just to be sure, the group pulled in towards the center of the roof where a casual glance would not be able to spot them.  
  
"What is going on here?" Malachite demanded once again.  
  
Darien looked at him for a second before turning to Mina, "Do you want to explain or should I?"  
  
Mina looked at Darien and tried to think of something to say. It seemed like everything had suddenly become all too real. The rush of the kidnapping had let her forget for a short while what she was doing. Now, looking at Darien, it all hit her. Even though she kept her eyes on Darien she could feel the weight of Malachite's presence next to her.  
  
"I..." Mina tried to say.  
  
Darien seemed to understand and turned to the white haired man, "Relax, we are old friends."  
  
"Believe me, I think I would remember you three." Malachite commented dryly.  
  
Mina gave a harsh laugh at that, causing both men to turn towards her again. Darien gave her a look of sympathy while Malachite just looked confused.  
  
"Malachite." Darien said after a moment, "We need your help. I can prove things if I have to, but right now we are kind of pressed for time so you are going to have to trust us."  
  
"Trust you? I don't even know who you are. Or what you are. All I do know is that you just kidnapped me and that is not something that inspires much trust in me." Malachite said, carefully controlled anger leaking into his voice as he stood stiffly, glaring at them.  
  
Darien took a deep breath, calming the panic that he was beginning to feel at the time they were wasting, "I've got a story for you. It's a long one that will sound improbable but you have to hear us out. It is important."  
  
Darien began to tell the story of the Moon Kingdom, the old war and its newest incarnations. He talked about what Malachite's part had been in the all the different battles, leaving nothing out. Throughout it all, Malachite stood silent, listening. Mina watched him, noticing little details that she had thought she had forgotten about her old lover's face. The small lines that would deepen if he were to laugh but disappeared at times, like now, when he was trying to turn himself into a statue. Or at least that was what it always looked like to her. No emotion was allowed on to his face and he stood perfectly still. She used to hate it when he did that. It was like the man she loved had disappeared leaving this stranger in his place, a person with none of the real Malachite's warmth or humor. It was this person that she had fought, this person who had been a leader of Beryl's army and it scared her to see him here. She wanted her Malachite, not this cold stranger.  
  
As Darien stopped talking, Mina tried to find something to say, something that would bring the man she knew back but she couldn't think of anything. There weren't any words.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena's head snapped up as lightning streaked across the sky and a dark, feminine chuckle filled the silence.  
  
"Little Moon, little Moon, open up." A tall woman appeared in the sky, hovering slightly above the shield.  
  
"Or we'll huff and puff and blow your shield down." A man appeared at her side, smirking down at those below them.  
  
Serena concentrated briefly, opening up the shield to allow them to enter. She had been watching the time for the last hour, hoping that the others would be here in time. But it looked like they were going to be late.  
  
The pair landed lightly on the roof and Serena saw Ami, Lita and Nephrite out of the corner of her eye moving to stand at her back. Even though she had the odds in her favor she felt outnumbered in this fight already.  
  
"So. The famous Sailor Moon. I've heard a lot about you." The man said.  
  
Serena took a second to study the pair. There was something in their stance that made her wonder about this man's relationship with her daughter. And it was weird to think of this woman as her daughter. She looked to be just a few years younger than herself. She was wearing a long, elegant black dress and at her neck was a dark jewel that Serena felt queasy just looking at. There was something about the way the light reflected off of it that was unnatural. The man at her side stood tall and proud. He wore a dark gray suit with a black shirt. They looked like they were ready more for a night at the opera and a fancy dinner than a life and death fight.  
  
Her silence seemed to amuse the pair.  
  
"And where are all your defenders? Don't tell me that they have abandoned you?" The woman asked, her voice dripping false concern.  
  
"Not abandoned. Just fashionably late."  
  
Serena looked up at that to see Pluto appearing above. With relief, she opened up the shield once again to let in the newest arrival.  
  
"What are *you* doing here?" The woman hissed, for the first time showing something besides calm assurance.  
  
"Really Rini, I'd think that was obvious." Pluto said as she took her place next to Sailor Moon.  
  
"And what about your precious duty? Aren't you failing that?" Rini asked, venom dripping from her words.  
  
"I have always put you and your family first." Pluto said, retailing her calm. But Serena could see how deeply those words had cut.  
  
"Liar!" Rini screamed.  
  
Without any warning Rini threw a ball of black energy at Pluto. Pluto snapped her staff into a guard position and the ball struck it straight on, pushing her back several feet. But Pluto was able to stay on her feet.  
  
"I wasn't lying, Small Lady." Pluto said as she relaxed her guard slightly once again.  
  
"You always put duty first." Rini yelled, as another black ball of energy appeared in her hand.  
  
"Jupiter Thunder Dragon!" Lita yelled as the second ball of energy was thrown.  
  
Jupiter's lightning smashed into the black energy. The two powers collided, fighting each other for a moment before exploding between the two groups. The flash of light blinded Serena for a moment.  
  
"Mercury Bubble Blast!"  
  
As she sight cleared, she was surrounded by the familiar white mist of Mercury's attack. She looked around, trying to locate both friends and enemies.  
  
"Sailor Moon!" She heard the warning just in time, narrowly dodging the black energy that went sailing by. She heard it hit the shield and winced as she felt the shock reverberate in the Silver Crystal. Ami appeared at her side a second later.  
  
"I thought we were going to end this, Sailor Moon! Not hide in the mist like frightened rabbits." Rini's cold voiced called out.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Serena called into the mist, trying to locate where the woman was.  
  
"Why?" A masculine voice answered her call, "You haven't seen the future. If you had, you would lay down and let us kill you rather than keep fighting."  
  
"You destroyed the world. You callously banished a huge portion of the people to the Black Moon, a cold place with no hope simply because they wouldn't bow down to you." Rini's voice added.  
  
"Sailor Moon." Pluto said quietly, appearing at her side.  
  
Sailor Moon looked at the tall Scout in shock and asked quietly, "Is it true?"  
  
"It is one version of the truth. But it is a twisted form of it." Pluto replied.  
  
"What do you mean, one version?" She demanded warily.  
  
"You did banish the Black Moon family when they refused to be cleansed. But it was the only option you had other than killing." Pluto said.  
  
A cruel laugh rang out, "You can believe her if you want *Your Highness*. But we came from the future. We know the truth. You are a cruel dictator. We came back to stop that future from ever happening."  
  
"But if you kill me you die too! I'm your mother." Serena said.  
  
"I would rather die than see you become Queen." Rini said.  
  
Suddenly Lita was there, pushing her out of the way of another black energy ball. The energy slammed into Jupiter, engulfing her for a second in a swirling blackness. She fell to the ground, writhing in pain as Nephrite appeared out of the mist, kneeling beside her.  
  
Another energy ball flew at the downed scout but Nephrite threw himself over her, taking the blow in her place. Sailor Moon watched in horror as Nephrites back bowed backward as his body fought the pain. Below him, Lita groaned as she regained consciousness.  
  
"Stop it!" Serena screamed, watching as Lita struggled to get on her knees.  
  
"Why? If they stand with you they are our enemies." Rini asked, stepping out of the mist to smile down at her handiwork.  
  
"This can't be right. Rini, stop this. This can't be who you really are. We need to talk." Serena begged.  
  
"So you can convince me that you are the wonderful savior of the world like you convinced all those other poor, deluded saps in the future? I think not." Rini sneered.  
  
Another ball of energy flew at Lita and Nephrite. Again, Nephrite took the full brunt of the attack, shielding Lita with his body. Lita grabbed a hold of him, bracing him as the dark energy slammed into him. His mouth fell open in a silent scream.  
  
As the energy disappeared, Nephrite collapsed on to Lita, who struggled to keep him from hitting the hard concrete of the roof.  
  
"Mercury Ice Bubbles Freeze!" Ami attacked from behind Serena.  
  
Several clear balls of ice raced toward Rini. Before they could reach her, Rini's companion stepped out of the mist and sent several energy balls at them, intercepting them and bursting them mid-air.  
  
"Enough of this." Rini said, reaching out her hands to either side of her.  
  
As she closed her eyes, the jewel at her neck began to throb with a dark aura of power. Black flames erupted around her as she rose into the air slowly. The jewel at her neck pulled away from her, floating out. Rini brought her hands up to cup the jewel and raise it above her head. A fierce wind began to swirl around her in a whirlwind. Bits of dirt and gravel was flung outward, stinging Serena's eyes as she watched the events unfurling in front of her.  
  
"Darien, where are you?" She whispered as she braced herself for whatever was coming.  
  
* * * * *  
  
AN: Hey luvs. I know, I know. I suck. But life reached out and kicked my ass and then I just sat staring at this story, trying to figure out what was going on and basically whined a lot about not being able to write a decent fight scene. And sorry if my responses are a little rushed. Midterms and all that. And if I miss anyone, I'm sorry.  
  
Oh! And before I forget, at the end of the responses is a re-cap of everything that has happened so far. If you need to be reminded as to what has happened so far without having to completely reread this monster.  
  
And once again, thanks to my awesome beta, who puts up with me better than I could have ever hoped.  
  
AnGeLeYeZgUrL121 - Oh wow. You are back with a vengance. I looked at my reviews and basically saw your reviews. Thats was really cool. Thanks!  
  
kalinda - Thanks. Sorry this took so long to get out.  
  
missaw - No prob. FF.net has issues occasionally. At least it finally let you review.  
  
Bluejello - Thanks! Are you kidding. My reviewers are always giving me these ideas through sujestions or just random comments. You guys are awesome!  
  
Lil-PrincessK - Hope you like Jadiet here.  
  
Mercury Guardian - Thanks for the site adress. I did check it out. I love finding new stories, especially when someone has already screened out the bad ones for me. lol. And it is really cool to see that people remember my story after they are done reading the new chapter.  
  
roswellachick - lol. Thanks for the kick...I think. I love reading the comments that you make about certain lines. I gives me this great idea of what you are thinking while reading the story. You are great!  
  
Moon's Rose - Thanks. I am still playing with Serena's parents and they should be making another showing here (I hope) in the next couple chapters. But it should all end well. That is, unless the characters revolt against me.  
  
happygolucky111 - Malachite's group still has some work to do but Rei & Jad should be showing up at the battle soon.  
  
firelightz - Hope you liked Jedite and Rei's reunion here. It was hard to write. And Malachite's bit isn't any easier (thus my wimping out and putting off till the next chapter).  
  
Izzy - Personally, I switch between loving the cold and hating it with a passion. And of course you are twisted. Your Canadian. J/K If Bush is re-elected down here, Canada is going to be my new home.  
  
Lady of Pluto - Just for you, One re-cap.  
  
Kajino Rei - Thanks for the great visual. I wanted Rei to roast him. I had this great anime image of it. Anyway, hope you liked how things turned out instead.  
  
Meghan McLaws - Thanks! I am so glad that you enjoyed the stroy and that it kept you interested as you read.  
  
Kail Ceannai - Yeah, the suspense is building. Classic SM ending (hopefully) coming up complete with huge battles and angst.  
  
Phoeaix - Hee hee. A few people loved that coment about liking cold weather = twisted personality. Nice to know my readers are twisted. I wouldn't have it any other way.  
  
Chicken Stars - Okay. Wow. Too many questions to answer there. I do have an idea for a possible sequal but I don't want to commit to anything yet. I have another story in the x-man section that I have been badly neglecting.  
  
pudadingding - Flattery will get you everywhere. I haven't decided if its going to be all one final fight or a couple. I just have to see what comes.  
  
BenRG - The kidnapping of Malachite was my kind of plan. Simple yet effective. I was a little worried about if anyone would like it but I liked the humour in it.  
  
Kitsune Moonstar - Hope you like the way the character confrontations are going.  
  
X5-452Star - Thanks. I am glad that you liked the whole Rei/Jad thing. I was a little worried when I first thought it up but I didn't want things to get too formula like, with the scouts and generals all being found the same way over and over.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Re-Cap  
  
Serena and the scouts, after defeating Beryl, were stripped of their memories of ever being Scouts. When Luna and Artemis reawakened those memories in Serena, so that she could fight as Sailor Moon again, she refused to let them do the same to her Scouts, insisting that they be allowed to live as normal humans. Together, with the Moonlight Knight, she was able to fight against the monsters that attacked Earth for five years.  
  
Darien, who went to med school in America, while on break returned to Tokyo and ran into Serena once again. Serena, with mixxed feeling, began dating Darien again. During a final battle with the Wiseman, the Wiseman opened a portal between his world and the Earth, pouring his entire army through to attack Sailor Moon. Using the power of the Silver Crystal, Serena was able to completely destroy the army, killing Wiseman and nearly killing herself in the process. The Moonlight Knight brought her back to her apartment, where Darien was and revealed himself, returning Darien's memories to him against Serena's wishes.  
After Serena had recovered, Darien and the cats finally convinced Serena that it was time to seek out the other scouts. Starting with Rei, who was still at her temple, Serena created a set of pens that would give the scouts back their memories. Rei accepted the pen and the memories, rejoining Sailor Moon in her fight against the remanents of the Wiseman's army.  
The next scout found was Mina, who had returned to London and become a sucessful model. Sending the cats to investigate, Artemis and Luna were able to locate Mina and bring Serena to her. Mina opened her pen in order to save Artemis' life. Artemis and Mina stayed in London. The third Scout found was Ami, who was attending school in Germany. But with her was Zoicite, who aparently had lost his memories as well and believed himself to be a normal human being. Ami accidentaly opened her pen, without warning and was flooded with the memories of her former lives as well as the knowledge of who Zoicite was. After much soul serching, Ami and Zoicite came to Serena and Darien to try and awaken Zoicite's memories. Darien, by getting Zocite to retake his old oath of fealty, was able to bring back these memories.  
Meanwhile, the remanders of the Wiseman's army are regrouping under the trio of Rini, Helios and Rubius. While Rini and Helios focus on trying to create a weapon that is powerful enough to defeat Sailor Moon, Rubeus began to look into finding out the real identity of Sailor Moon. Using several spies, Rubeus discovered that Serena was Sailor Moon. In order to attack her, Rubeus orders Serena's brother to be kidnapped. While the monster was grabbing Sammy, Sailor Pluto interfered, dropping Sammy into Lita's care in Ireland with hopes that this would bring Sailor Moon to her last Scout.  
While Serena tried to find her brother, Rubeus sent his monsters back to get Sammy. When the monster attacked, Lita and Sammy ran, ending up in the local university where Lita, literally, ran into Nephlite after hiding Sammy. Sailor Moon found Sammy, revealing that she was his sister, before helping Lita and Nephlite. Back at Serena's apartment, Lita and Nephlite's meories were reawakened inside them, after which Serena took Sammy back to their parent's home and revealed her identity to them. Rubeus was killed by Helios for betraying them.  
That night, Pluto appeared to Serena, warning her of the true identity of her enemies and said that the last two generals had to be found if she wanted to win the final battle. Before the search could begin, Rini issued a challange to Sailor Moon, calling her out for a final battle. So Serena sent off Mina, Darien and Zoicite to get Malachite, while Rei left on her own to collect Jadiete. Then Serena, Lita, Ami and Nephlite went to go meet Rini.  
  
...And that brings us to the most recent chapters 


	36. Casualties

Rei could feel something in the air as they moved quickly through the tunnel. Time was running out. She had tried once already to teleport directly out of the cave to Serena but there was some sort of magic around the cave that prevented anyone from entering or leaving like that. It meant that they had to take the slower route, walking carefully through the cave. She wanted to run, but even with her light, the shadows were long and hid any number of hazards. If she broke an ankle here, trying to run, she'd be of no use to any one in a fight.  
  
All the while, Jadeite walked silently at her side. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as he walked, lost in thought. She wanted to know what those thoughts were and what they meant. And she wanted to know why she still cared- after all that they had done to each other and had done to them, she wanted to know why she still cared what this man thought. She shouldn't but she did.  
  
Finally, she saw a light up ahead that had nothing to do with the fire cupped in her own hands. Walking as quickly as she could, Rei walked towards the entrance. Finally she stepped out of the shelter of the cave and back into the fierce arctic wind and endless expanse of snow.  
  
"We're coming Serena. Hold on." Rei muttered, hunching her shoulders against the sudden, all consuming cold.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Mina could feel the press of time, weighing heavily on her. They had to hurry this up but Malachite wasn't going to just do whatever they asked without explanation. And now, with him just standing there, thinking, Mina was desperate.  
  
"Malachite." She said softly.  
  
The man turned to look at her, eyebrow raised in a questioning look.  
  
Mina knew that look. It was one that had always irritated her. That was probably her only defense for her actions.  
  
Mina pulled back her arm and slugged Malachite, right in his arrogant jaw.  
  
Malachite stumbled back a step before turning back to her. This time there was no hint of the aloof businessman as he yelled in her face, "What the hell was that for?"  
  
Mina took a step forward, putting herself nose to nose with the man, "We don't have all day for you to sit there and think. Make a bloody decision!"  
  
"You have got to be kidding me. You people kidnap me from my own office, tell me some crack addled fairy tale and expect me to do what you say?" Malachite hissed at her, ignoring the rest of the world in favor of the small blonde challenging him.  
  
Mina glared back, "If it's just some stupid fairy tale, then prove it. Take the oath."  
  
"Fine, I will!" Malachite yelled, his nose mere millimeters from Mina's.  
  
"Fine! Get on with it!" Mina challenged.  
  
The two stood there, glaring at one another, for several seconds. Finally Malachite broke away to glare at Darien, "What do I need to do?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena felt the air around her charge a second before a beam of pure darkness shot from the crystal in Rini's hands, plowing a furrow through the concrete, throwing dust and debris up into the air all around. She threw up her arms at the last minute before the blast hit her, protecting her head. Instead of feeling the blow, she heard twin screams to either side of her. Opening her eyes, she saw the streak of power had split just in front of her, each of the two arms of energy going after Mercury and Pluto where they stood. Both had been caught unaware by the sudden change in attack and took the full brunt of the attack. Dark power coursed through them unrestrained as Serena watched. It seemed to take forever for the power to disappear around them, but in reality it was only a couple seconds before her two friends crumpled to the ground bonelessly.  
  
"You should have brought more Guardians." Rini said with a sadistic chuckle.  
  
"And here I thought, since this was Sailor Moon's party, being late would mean being on time."  
  
Serena looked up to see Rei, standing on the shield with Jadeite, "Sailor Mars!"  
  
"You picked a horrible time to start being on time to things." Rei said as she fell gracefully through the hole in the shield that Serena opened up for the two newcomers.  
  
Rini sneered down at them, "Calling in reinforcements? When are you going to finally face me, Sailor Moon?"  
  
Serena took a step forward, "Rini, enough! Pluto told me Wiseman did something to you, twisted your mind somehow to make you think things happened differently than they really did!"  
  
"No!" The energy surged around Rini in an angry pulsing, "The Wiseman saved me. You are the one twisting the truth! I won't let you win!"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Malachite repeated the lines of the oath after Darien, his eyes locked on the petite blonde behind the dark haired man. But as the last word of the oath left his mouth, his world disappeared and a new one, this one formed from some unknown void, appeared in its place. But still the dark haired man, Darien, remained.  
  
"Malachite."  
  
Malachite looked up and felt the first stirrings of something, some recognition building inside of him.  
  
"Do you choose to walk with us again?" Darien asked.  
  
The image of the blonde pulled at him and he answered before he had a chance to think, "I do."  
  
"Then remember, old friend, and fight with us again."  
  
As Darien's voice faded, images of several lifetimes exploded around him. Flashes that were too fast to make out and yet were burned into his brain forever. And in them was Mina, glaring, laughing, crying... fighting.  
  
When he opened his eyes, it took him a moment to realize that he was no longer looking at memories. That the beautiful blonde holding his head was not a ghost of the past but the real thing, somehow returned, against all odds, to his side. And he made a second vow that day, to never lose her again.  
  
"Mina?" He croaked, his throat parched for some reason.  
  
"Do you remember?" His angel asked, concern written clearly on her face.  
  
"Yes." He said quietly.  
  
"Good. Because I have a thousand years of issues to talk to you about." Mina growled, dropping his head onto the hard concrete.  
  
Malachite winced in pain and struggled to sit up. A hand was thrust into his vision. Grasping it, Zoicite pulled the man to his feet and grinned at him, "Good to have you back."  
  
"Thank you." Malachite said gravely, turning to the still angry blonde hell cat that was currently glaring daggers at him.  
  
"I believe that we are in a hurry. You may kick my ass later, of course." Malachite said formally, bowing before Mina in the ways of the old Court.  
  
Malachite smirked at the look of pure rage that Mina sent him before turning away.  
  
And only Darien saw the small, answering smile that Mina had.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jadeite attacked, swinging his sword at Rini. His sword stroke was suddenly stopped by another sword, this one long and thin and pure white. Some sort of design ran along the entire blade but as the two began to fight in earnest, it was impossible to make out.  
  
"Mars Fire Ignite!" Rei screamed out her attack as fire rushed towards the man fighting with Jadeite.  
  
"Helios!" Rini cried out, warning him in time to create a shield of dark energy to hold of Mar's flames.  
  
Jadeite tried to take advantage of his opponent's momentary distraction, thrusting but Helios was quick and agile, dodging the blow and attacking with renewed vigor.  
  
Serena pulled as much energy as she dared from the silver crystal to throw at Rini. Pure, clear energy smashed into the black void of Rini's. For several seconds the two powers were evenly matched but slowly the black energy began to push back the energy of the crystal.  
  
"Sailor Moon! Drop the shield!" Ami screamed at her.  
  
Serena, feeling beads of sweat pouring down her face as she concentrated, minutely shook her head. The shield was the only thing that was protecting the innocents from the fight. She felt it each time power hit the shield. Each time the strength of one of her scout's attacks or her enemies' attacks spilled over its intended target. Each time, if the shield hadn't been there, there was a chance that the crowd of people down below could have been hit or one of the surrounding buildings. She wasn't going to risk innocents getting hurt in this fight.  
  
Suddenly new strength poured into her. Looking back, she saw Lita on her knees, leaning against Nephrite, and reaching out to touch her elbow. She felt Lita giving her what strength she had, and through her, Nephrite's strength as well. The darkness stopped approaching her but she could not push it back. And then Ami was there as well, adding her strength to Serena's and very, very slowly, the darkness began to recede.  
  
"No!" Rini screamed in frustration.  
  
Seeing her chance as the other woman yelled, Serena whipped out her wand.  
  
"Moon Healing Activation!" The added power of the wand sent the light streaming straight at Rini.  
  
Just as the light was about to encompass Rini, Helios broke off from his fight with Rei and Jadeite and shoved her out of the way. The white light slammed into him with all the force that Serena had at her call and the man crumpled to the ground.  
  
Rini stared is shocked horror at the man at her feet lying lifeless.  
  
After a drawn out moment of silence, Rini's head snapped up and she glared at Serena.  
  
"How dare you?" Rini's voice came out low, the word hissed like some huge angry cat.  
  
As Serena watched, Rini's eyes slowly bled to black, as the dark power of the crystal she held surged with new strength, the dark power around her swirling faster and faster. The crystal hung in the air in front of her for a second before plunging itself into her chest. Rini screamed in mingled anger and pain, her entire body bowing and convulsing as black flames leapt up around her, hiding her from sight. The power exploded outward, shattering the shield Serena had worked so hard to maintain like glass.  
  
And from the flames, Rini emerged. Her hair and eyes now the same deep black of the crystal she had once wore about her throat. Her black dress had changed into a black armor that seemed to absorb all light, trapping it. Only her pale skin, peaking out from the cracks in the armor, interrupted the darkness that she had become.  
  
And down below, in the streets, Sailor Moon could hear the screams of the people.  
  
* * * * *  
  
AN: Once again, major thanks to my beta, Mercurial, for checking up on me and reminding me that I am supposed to be writing. Without her, this would be even later getting to you all and probably be complete gibberish because the author was high on cold medicine.  
  
shevon - Thanks! Glad to see you like Helios. He's a hard one to write at times.  
  
Bluejello - sorry about the shortness and all. But at least I'm posting something, right? Right?  
  
Mercurial1 - Ah, love those reviews by my wonderful beta.  
  
Lil-PrincessK - Anime fights are fun, because anything can happen from some little two year old haveing the power to destroy the universe to angels appearing. Keeps it interesting.  
  
lazzykane - well, hopefully you get this and you find a new computer. I know I would cry if my computer died. I had panic attacks when it had a virus.  
  
Silver Ash - Thanks. Your review means a lot. Especially about the originality comment. There are so many SM authors out there it sometimes seems like it would be impossible to write anything original.  
  
BenRG - Yes! I always thought I was the only one who thought that SM's justice in the future was a little sketchy. Thus the was Rini is in this story. But it is great to hear that other people thought the same.  
  
cosmoscat - Wow, you read through this entire monster. I am impressed. And overjoyed to have gotten a new reader (especially one who reviews).  
  
siren - hee hee, funny you should mention the parental units...they should be in the next chapter.  
  
tangentsferret - um...sorry? lol. Thanks. I love it when my readers yell at me. Makes me feel special.  
  
AnGeLeYeZgUrL121 - Thanks for the midterm luck. Hopefully I passed it all and can relax (at least until finals. Bleh!)  
  
buffy_p3 - Wow. Thank you so much for that review. It really meant a lot. I do have some other story ideas that I want to play with after this, some fanfic and some original. Thanks for the major vote of confidence.  
  
Miaka Kiri - Wow, compliments on my cliffhangers. I'm speechless. Thank you so much.  
  
QueenofMercury - Thanks! Hope the rest of the story continues to please!  
  
happygolucky111 - No problem. The recap was something that I think was needed so when it was suggested, I was glad to add it.  
  
Serenity2006 - I can't garuntee it'll be finished soon timewise, but there aren't that many more chapters left (I hope).  
  
missaw - I really feel like I'm picking on Malachite lately...  
  
Sorceress Aeris - I'll throw your e-mail adress onto my updates list.  
  
hotohori's empress - na, I like the replies.  
  
Moon's Rose - Not offended at all. I love when people ask questions. It helps me out a lot and people are always pointing things out to me that I didn't think of. As to why Darien didn't just ask, I really don't know. Most of the conversation isn't actually given, since its from Mina's POV and she's kind of panicky and thinking her own thoughts. Actually, I'm not sure if I like the way the scene turned out in this chapter between Malachite and Mina. Believe it or not but that is actually the third version of events written.  
  
roswellachick - So...what did you think? As I told another person already, that Malachite scene was rewritten several times and I'm interested in if people liked it. Let me know.  
  
Pori-Pori - Thanks! Love the reviews that are short and sweet.  
  
Moon-Princess13 - Thanks! Sorry if this is just another cliff hanger. Hope the story is still fun to read!  
  
Adilande - Okay, wow. First off, you rock. That review totally made my day when I read it. Thank you so much. And I love it when people write long reviews. It gives me a better idea of what they like and don't like about my story. Wordy is good! Second, thanks for the heads up on the spelling thing. I am not the best at rereading my own stuff, thus the reason formy awesome beta. But I'll try and watchout for the definitly/defiantly thing. It all goes back to the fact that my typing skills aren't the greatest.  
  
Chicken Stars - No, questions are good. I love questions. I just can't promise answers. But...The flaw in the crystal is important. Can't say how yet. Need some surprise in the story.  
  
Ocianne lol. I got 'glomped'. I feel so special. Oh! And thanks for pointing out the name switch in the last chapter. I will be fixing that.  
  
Kitsune Moonstar - As one of the Mina/Mal fans, let me know what you think of their scene. It was one of those things that got rewritten several times and I'm no longer sure if it is any good. Love to hear your opinion.  
  
X5-452Star - I fully admit that I don't like writing big fights. I can never seem to do them justice so please feel free to give any suggestions you might have or point of weak points in the story so that I can work on them. Thanks!  
  
Chibi J - Thanks. Yea, the family thing is important. I didn't mean to leave it out of the re-cap. I wrote it rather quickly and, as I was writing it, realized there had been a lot of things that had happened so far. So yea, Serena being disowned should have been in there. My bad.  
  
Phoeaix - I'm a beacon drawing all the twisted people to my story? Wow, that is the nicest thing anyone has said in a long time. Twisted is good.  
  
kalinda - lol. The sign of one of my long time readers, patience in the face of long delays. 


	37. The End of the Fight

At the sound of the screams, Serena jerked her eyes away from the sight in front of her to watch in horror as the excesses of dark power caused the edges of the building to explode outward. The masses of people below on the street were screaming as chunks of cement and metal fell, crashing to the ground.  
  
And there was nothing Sailor Moon could do to save them.  
  
On the roof all around lay the bodies of her friends and protectors. Mercury and Pluto lay sprawled where they had fallen under Rini's attack. Nephrite and Jupiter had fallen on top of one another, as if, even unconscious, they still tried to protect one another. Only Rei still stood with her. Rei, who was still willing, after all that had been done to her, to fight for Serena. Rei, who, bleeding and bruised already, was still standing at Serena's side.  
  
"It is time." Hissed out a low voice.  
  
Serena dragged her attention back to what was happening in front of her, the thing that in the future had once been her daughter. Rini's transformation was complete and Serena could feel the power that swam just beneath the woman's skin, threatening to burst from its fragile prison at any moment. Rini's hair and eye's had been seeped in the darkness, becoming a back so dark that it wasn't just the absence of light, but the very destruction of it. She hovered above the fallen body of her own protector, challenging Sailor Moon with her gaze.  
  
Serena wrapped her hand around the Silver Crystal and closed her eyes, concentrating on calling its powers forward to help her fight this battle. She felt the answer to that call, coming instantly, almost as if it had been waiting for her summons. Cool, clean power flooded into her veins, merging and transforming her into its own image much as Rini's crystal had transformed her. A flash of pain caused her to gasp as a pair of pure white wings ripped themselves out of her back. Before the pain had even subsided, some unconscious part of her brain had already used her wings to raise her into the air so that she could face her challenger straight on. Her Sailor Moon uniform and armor reformed into the delicate form of a long and simple white dress and her hair silvered out. If looked at closely, her hair would be seen as neither white nor blonde, but rather clear. It acted as a prism, collecting light and reflecting it back into the world with even greater strength.  
  
But there were a thousand other tiny changes below the skin that only she could feel, but were much more important than any outward appearance. The power, as it flowed through her, changed every tiny cell and drop of blood it touched, making her more than she had been.  
  
She had become the opposite of her daughter's image. Where Rini had become all hard darkness, Serena's power had made her into a being of soft light. And yet Serena could feel the strength of that softness, a flexibility to bend and reform around anything that might attempt to hurt it. This was a power born of love and hope, where Rini's power came from hate and despair.  
  
Serena's eyes snapped open to stare directly into her daughter's, "It is time."  
  
At an invisible command, the two warriors shot into the air.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Darien and the others arrived just as the shield collapsed.  
  
"Venus!" Darien yelled, hoping she would understand.  
  
Mina nodded once, "Venus Crescent Beam Smash!"  
  
Venus' golden power shot from her hands, destroying the larger chunks of the building before they could crash into the ground while Darien, Malachite and Zoicite worked on pulling people out of the way. But there were too many people and too much debris to get it all. Darien could hear the cries of pain all around him, mixing with the screams of fear, but in his heart of hearts he hated these people for delaying him even more from reaching Serena's side. He couldn't see what was going on up on the roof but he knew it had to be bad to have these kinds of backlashes. He could feel the huge amount of power concentrated up there and had to force himself to help the people on the street.  
  
The crowd's terror took on a new intensity as twin streaks of power, dark and light, shot with unbelievable speed into the air. But when nothing else came hurtling down, people began to calm slightly and continued to move away from the building. Soon, all that was left were those that had been injured too badly to get to safety without help.  
  
Suddenly a dust covered man appeared at his side as he was helping a woman with a broken leg get out of the danger zone, "I've got her. You go help Sailor Moon."  
  
It took him a moment to recognize the man and when he did, he instantly stiffened, "Mr. Tsukino."  
  
"Please." Serena's father begged quietly, his voice gruff from all the dust choking the air around them; "I can't lose her to my own stupidity a second time."  
  
Darien saw his own fear of what was going on on the roof reflected in the older man's eyes before he took the woman from Darien and began walking her away. Glancing around he saw that most of the people were out of immediate danger. Mina was looking a little tired from using so much of her power all at once but she had managed to stop anyone from getting crushed. Malachite and Zoicite were trying to push people even farther back. Out of the corner of his eye Darien saw several cops advancing on him.  
  
"Venus! Mal! Zoi!" He called out.  
  
The other three looked at him, taking in the cops that were trying to surround them. They followed Darien as he jumped into the air. Landing on a lower balcony for a moment before jumping to another balcony, he saw the police shouting angrily up after them. A moment later, the four of them were over the remaining edge of the roof and looking in horror at the destruction there.  
  
The entire area was filled with scorch marks. Huge furrows in the cement led to the fallen bodies of Mercury and Pluto. In the middle of a huge scorch mark, and surrounded by rubble lay Lita and Nephrite in a crumpled heap. The only one still standing was Rei. At her feet, Jadeite knelt, gasping for air. Rei was staring into the sky with a concentration that was almost scary. There was another body, this one of a strange man, lay on the ground.  
  
"Where's Sailor Moon?" Darien asked Rei, with a sinking feeling of dread.  
  
Rei turned her gaze away from the sky for a moment to look at him and he knew. He knew that he had been too late and the fight had been taken to some place he couldn't go.  
  
A sound like thunder and flashes of bright light caused both Rei and his attention to snap back to the sky. Hoping desperately to see something of what was going on above the clouds.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Rini had created a whip of power, which curl around her, constantly moving around like a snake until it cracked out, attacking Serena at the slightest hint of hesitation. Serena's own power was molded into the shape of a shield, which she was trying to use to deflect the power that lashed out at her. But she already had countless numbers of small cuts where the whip's tip had been able to sneak around the edges of her shield and kiss skin.  
  
She knew that she had to be careful how she used her strength. The power of the silver crystal was immense but not unlimited and her own skill in handling was nothing compared to what her mother's had once been. And the crystal that Rini was using was something that she had never seen before but she could sense that the power it had was as great as, maybe even greater, than hers.  
  
Lunging forward, Serena tried to get too close for Rini's whip to be useful. Rini managed to duck under her lunge, taking a shot at Serena's momentarily unprotected middle. Serena gasped in pain as she felt the whip bite into her flesh. As it pulled away, bright red drops of blood blossomed from the wound and fell like rain. But her white dress resisted the stains of her blood, remaining pure white as Serena regained her poise and turned to face her daughter again.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Darien watched several red drops fall to the ground and felt his heart stop beating. He knew what that was. He had been a warrior too long not to recognize blood and his gut told his whose blood it was. Somewhere in the air, far out of his reach, his love was bleeding, wounded, and all he could do was watch as her blood rained down upon him.  
  
Around him he knew that Zoicite was trying to bring Ami around while Mina and Malachite were checking on Lita, Nephrite and Pluto. A soft groan off to the side could be heard but his attention was firmly fixed on the sky. It wasn't until he heard Rei's startled gasp that he dragged his attention back to earth. Following Rei's gaze he saw the stranger, Rini's companion, struggling to sit up.  
  
Darien drew his sword and stalked towards the other man. The man was tall and this with startling white hair. In the center of his forehead was a red jewel. But the most startling thing was that, as he watched, a golden horn began growing from his head. It was elegantly beautiful and fit the man in a way that made it seem like without it, he was less than what he should be.  
  
As Darien grabbed him, hauling the still shaky man to his feet, Rei yelled out, "Darien, wait!"  
  
Darien turned to look at her, his sword still poised at the stranger's heart.  
  
"He might know how to help." Rei said, coming to stand next to him.  
  
"Who is he?" Darien asked.  
  
The man looked up at the sound of Darien's voice, recognition dawning in his eyes. With startling speed and strength, the man pulled away from Darien's grip and dropped to his knees, bowing his head so the golden horn on his head nearly touched the toe of Darien's boots.  
  
"My King." He said in a deep voice.  
  
Darien and Rei exchanged looks over his head before Darien repeated his question, "Who are you?"  
  
"Helios, my lord. I am...was...a protector of dreams, guardian of the golden crystal and a priest of illusion." Helios said, never once raising his head.  
  
"King?" Malachite asked as he and the others that came with Darien surrounded Helios.  
  
"King Endymion. Consort to Queen Serenity. Rulers of Earth." Helios said, looking up, straight into Darien's eyes as he said this. "I have failed you, my King."  
  
Helios looked down at his hands as if disgusted by them before continuing, "I was unable to protect your daughter as you bade me and was captured by your enemies. I..." The man's voice hitched slightly and Darien could almost see the pain surround the man on his knees before him, "I cut off my horn...to protect the Golden crystal."  
  
A single tear rolled down Helios' face and Darien knew instinctively that whatever the Golden crystal was and whoever this man was, he had been forced to do something horrible.  
  
"Your horn is regrown." Darien said, wondering if this was Sailor Moon's work.  
  
Helios gasped, his hands flying up to his head and feeling the horn there. His expression was one of pure wonder, "How?"  
  
Rei stepped forward slightly, "Sailor Moon healed you."  
  
Helios looked at her in awe, "I...I remember. We were fighting and...Rini!"  
  
Helios looked frantically around and Darien wondered what this man's relationship was with his future daughter.  
  
"Tell me what happened." Darien demanded.  
  
Helios closed his eyes for a second and Darien could see him forcing his muscles to relax before opening his eyes, his voice now calm, "Rini created a dark crystal. Fueled with the energy of hundred of thousand of people, she is planning on using it to kill off Sailor Moon. Where the Wiseman took away my memories, he just warped Rini's, making her believe that her mother and father, you and the Queen, were evil and cruel. Together we were going to stop the future from being what it is."  
  
"How can we stop her?" Rei asked.  
  
"You...you have to attack the dark crystal. Shatter it somehow." Helios said, thinking hard.  
  
"She absorbed it." Rei said quietly.  
  
"What?" Helios and Darien asked together.  
  
"Rini. When you fell, she absorbed the crystal into herself and challenged Sailor Moon. And Sailor Moon did something similar with the Silver Crystal." Rei said.  
  
"How are we supposed to shatter the crystal when it is in Rini?" Lita asked what they were all thinking.  
  
"We can't. If it is really inside of her, shattering it will kill her." Helios stated.  
  
Darien felt some part of him grow cold, but he knew that if it really came down to it, he had already made his choice.  
  
Helios must have seen something on his face, some sign for he shouted, "No! You can't kill her! She is your daughter."  
  
"And she is trying to kill Serena." Darien said. At his back, he could feel the presence of his generals.  
  
"I will not let you kill her." Helios said, standing tall in front of Darien.  
  
"And I will not let Serena die." Darien replied.  
  
The two stared at each other, neither moving. The tension in the air thickened with unsaid threats and actions.  
  
"Enough." Rei said, stepping between the two. "You two will either find a way to save both or leave now so that the rest of us can save the meatball heads."  
  
Helios looked shocked by the harsh demand, his mouth falling open. Darien watched with mingled amusement and chagrin. Rei was right. They accomplished nothing fighting each other.  
  
A soft cough drew Darien's attention to Ami, who was leaning heavily on Zoicite, "I think I might know a way."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena was panting hard now. She was more tired than she could ever remember being. She had finally managed to get inside of Rini's guard. She had brought her shield smashing down on the woman's arm hard, causing her to cry out and drop the whip, which dissolved in the air. Now, as they circled each other warily, Rini's right arm hung limply at her side. Serena wasn't sure if it was broken or if she had just hit the nerves enough to numb them. Either way though, she now had an advantage and needed to use it.  
  
Serena swooped forward again, pressing her attack. Rini neatly dodged several punches but she was too slow on her right side and Serena was able to get in a couple good hits. But she didn't go unscathed herself. A sound kick to her knees, which would have sent her to the ground if she'd been standing, still managed to throw off her balance.  
  
The two of them fell apart, taking a moment to assess their new wounds as well as the other's injuries. Serena winced as she felt the bruise from Rini's kick growing. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to stand on that leg after this fight was over.  
  
If she still had a reason to stand after this fight.  
  
Rini seemed to be recovering quickly. Serena could feel her gathering the dark power inside of her for another attack and struggled to find the energy to respond. As Rini lashed out with a blast of pure darkness, Serena managed to send out an answering blast of power. The two attacks met, smashing into one another with staggering force. Serena kept pouring power into her attack, struggling to push against Rini's own attack.  
  
But she could feel herself weakening. And slowly, Rini began to win. The darkness began to eat away at her light, coming closer and closer to her.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Pluto said that we all needed to be here. That means that all of our strength will be needed to win." Ami said.  
  
Lita looked at her from where she stood shakily, "I don't have much left after the first fight."  
  
"I know. I don't either. But it's more than Sailor Moon has right now." Ami said, looking around.  
  
"So what do you want us to do?" Rei asked.  
  
"I think that I can direct our strength into the Silver crystal. If what Rei said is right and the crystal is now in Sailor Moon, she should then have direct access to that strength. Hopefully she will know what to do with it." Ami said, exhaustion showing plainly on her features.  
  
"Let's do this." Mina said.  
  
Ami arranged them. Pluto, whose Key could handle all the power they were going to gather, would act as a beacon. In a circle around Pluto were the Scouts, hands linked. And in another, larger circle around the scouts stood Darien and his Generals. Helios watched as the arranged themselves with worried eyes.  
  
The scouts closed their eyes and their power rose from them and began flowing into Pluto's Key. Green lightning crackled from Lita, and an answering power twined with hers, coming from Nephrite. Rei's red flames dances upward with Jadeite's strength. Beautiful blue waves entwined easily with Zoicite's energy and next to that, pure golden light, shot through with the silver of Malachite's own power also joined what was being collected in Pluto's hands. And tying it all together, binding the different powers to act in accord was that back thread of Darien's power, strong and commanding.  
  
With a shout from Pluto, the power of the Scouts and their lovers shot into the air, seeking out its intended target.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Serena watched as the dark power crept closer to where she continued to throw her own strength desperately against it. But Rini and the dark crystal's strength were too much for her to take on. And as she felt her control slipping, she could see that Rini was becoming confident in the result of this fight.  
  
Suddenly a second blast of pure power slammed into her. Serena gasped in surprise, eyes widened in momentary fear as she felt her tenuous control on the battle between herself and her future daughter disappear. The dark power surged forward, completely unrestrained by any hand. Serena had a brief moment to brace herself before all that power slammed into her.  
  
But instead of pain, something else happened. As Rini's power hit her, the other power wrapped itself around Serena, taking the hit instead. And Serena felt something in that power, a sense of recognition and struggled to place it. It bent easily to her commands and changed her even more than the Silver crystal already had.  
  
And that is when she sensed it. The tiny flaw in Rini's power. The small grain of purity buried in all the darkness.  
  
Serena's power reacted to her desire before she had even put it into conscious thought. It began to push a small thread of pure power through the stream of darkness, creating a core of light in Rini's continued attack against her. Slowly that thread moved towards her daughter. Finally, with a burst of speed and strength, Serena's power slammed itself into Rini. It continued to burrow through her flesh and bone until it found its target, the black crystal embedded into Rini's very heart. Spilling into the crystal, Serena's power searched for that grain of imperfection. Finally it found what it sought and began to exploit it. Rini screamed in pain and anger, her own attack faltering and fading.  
  
What started off as a minute speck of light was fed and the darkness surrounding it was slowly changed. Horribly slow, a few other specks of the crystal began to be washed clean. And then more appeared and more, forming veins of light in the once pure black crystal. And with each part that was purified, the next became easier and faster.  
  
Serena watched at the power that Rini had been using was turned against her. Pulling out her Scepter, she focused the last of her power and strength through the changed crystal still lodged in Rini's heart.  
  
"Moon Healing Activation!"  
  
The power exploded around them, engulfing them both in a ball of light and Serena had time for one last prayer before she lost consciousness.  
  
'Please, let this have worked.'  
  
* * * * *  
  
On the roof, Darien and the other scouts and generals lay where they had collapsed after sending all they had the Sailor Moon. Standing guard over their prone bodies, watching the sky, stood Helios. He winced at the sound of Rini's pain filled screams filling the air. But it was infinitely worse when those screams died suddenly as the sky exploded.  
  
* * * * *  
  
AN: Alright, so I'm slow. But hey, as a Passover/Easter gift you get an extra long chapter and the promise of more soon. Sorry about the cliffy but I figured you's all rather I post *something* now rather than wait any longer. Right? Right? Oh, and I didn't have time to respond to everyone so sorry if I skipped you. I still love you all!  
  
jen - Here's...well not the rest of it but definatly the next part.  
  
Bluejello - Hey! Sorry got nothing profound to say today. Keeping it short here & all that.  
  
Jabba1 - Yea, Rei and Jad didn't get their all out fight but I'm glad you understood.  
  
videlish - :p. hee hee. Sorry. I'm not feeling that mature right now.  
  
Cereberus - Thanks! Flattery will get you everywhere.  
  
Kitsune Moonstar - hee hee. I love hearing people's favorite parts/lines. Gives me an idea of what people like.  
  
Jeanae - Sorry about the cliffy. My bad.  
  
angeleyezgurl121 - tests taken and passed and I'm back to writing. Woot!  
  
roswellachick - My beta declared me the Queen of Cliffhangers. (There may have been some comment about being evil too but I'm sure she didn't mean it)  
  
Galactic Crystal hee hee. Capital letters and exclamation points. I feel special.  
  
siren - hee hee. Glad someone picked up on the Healing thing. Glad I can make your day.  
  
BenRG - lol. I almost tried to find a way to call her 'spore' but couldn't quite make it work. Still made me laugh though.  
  
Moon's Rose - The flaw turned out to be important after all. Who'd of guessed. hee hee.  
  
EtrnalRhapsodi - hee hee. I had a great time reading your review(s). Nice to know I'm not the only one that lack of sleep makes wonky.  
  
Mercurial1 - umm...yea. You rock because you make me feel sane.  
  
lazzykane - Glad to see I can still provide fun twists to the story.  
  
Destiny and Fate 4ever - Son of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!?! ROFLOL!!!  
  
X5-452Star - aww *blush* 


	38. The Void

Serena groaned softly, opening her eyes. Around her the world seemed to have disappeared, dissolving into a white nothingness. Unconsciously she wrapped her white wings around herself as she curled into a ball, floating in this place with no up or down. She knew that she should be worried and scared, not knowing where she was or how she would get back, but somehow she just couldn't bring herself to care. Emotions like fear seemed so far away, like some vaguely understood concept that had no real connection to her. Instead she felt lethargic, wanting nothing more than to just close her eyes and fall back into the oblivion of sleep. She was so tired. Didn't she deserve the rest?  
  
But something was calling her, refusing to let her just sleep. And some part of her was insisting that she had to pay attention to that call. It was important. Sighing, Serena raised her head and looked around, searching for the source of that call. As if sensing her attention, it became louder, more insistent. She still couldn't make out any words but she knew instinctively that it was directed at her.  
  
Then she saw it. There was something else in here with her. Someone else.  
  
"Mother!"  
  
And from deep in her brain, the fuzzy thought emerged that she wasn't a mother. She was pretty sure that she would have remembered something like giving birth. Right?  
  
"Mother!"  
  
But someone was out there, calling for her, calling her Mother. Maybe she was wrong and they weren't looking for her? But she knew they were. That thought made her frown. How did she know? Struggling, she tried to remember how she had gotten to this place but her thoughts were sluggish, refusing to focus.  
  
"Mother!"  
  
Serena felt a flash of irritation. She needed to think and that was hard when Rini kept yelling at her.  
  
Wait...Rini? Rini was...her daughter. But she didn't have a daughter.  
  
Yet.  
  
Suddenly her memory cleared, the memories rushing back. Looking around she wondered briefly if she was dead but shook the thought off as she turned towards where here daughter was calling for her.  
  
Spreading the huge white wings that were still with her, she shot forward, following the voice that was calling her.  
  
"Mother!"  
  
In front of her she saw a young woman. She was younger than the Rini that Sailor Moon had fought but older than the young girl that Pluto had described to her. She looked more like a girl in her mid-teens with long pink hair in a style similar to Serena's.  
  
"Rini." Serena called softly as she approached.  
  
The girl spun towards her and lunged at her, clinging to Serena's waist as huge sobs wracked her small frame.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mama. I'm sorry." Rini kept saying while crying.  
  
"Shh. Hush, it's okay. You're okay." Serena said quietly, petting her daughter's hair, trying to comfort her.  
  
Slowly the sobs began to lessen as Rini gasped for air.  
  
Rini pulled away from Serena's embrace and took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders, "I'm sorry, Mother."  
  
Serena felt an odd tinge of regret at the formal tone that Rini took. It said something about what the future looked like. It brought up memories of her own childhood on the Moon, when there had been a clear distinction between talking to her mother and talking to the Queen of the Moon.  
  
"Rini..." Serena tried to find the words the say what needed to be said to her daughter, this woman she didn't know at all. "This was not your fault."  
  
"But..." Rini began to protest.  
  
Serena cut her off, "It wasn't your fault. It was the fault of those who were supposed to be protecting you. I should never have allowed you to get into the kind of situation where you could be caught by my enemies. And it is the fault of the Wiseman who changed your memories, corrupting them. It is not, absolutely not, your fault."  
  
Rini looked at her sadly, "You couldn't protect me Mother."  
  
"What? Why?" Serena asked, wondering what Pluto had left out of her story of the future.  
  
"You were hurt. And now no one can wake you up. So your inner court protected you while Pluto was trying to watch me. But I...I snuck into your room and touched the Silver Crystal. I didn't mean for it to disappear! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have run away but I was afraid they would be mad at me." Rini said, looking pathetic, "That is why this is my fault."  
  
Serena looked at her curiously, ignoring the future for the moment in favor of the present and its oddities, "Rini, how old are you?"  
  
Rini seemed surprised, "Nine."  
  
Serena looked at the girl, "That's what I thought. Do you know why you didn't change all the way back to the age you are supposed to be?"  
  
"What?" Rini looked down at herself as if noticing for the first time that she no longer has the body of a little girl of nine, "I...I don't know. But..."  
  
"But?" Serena prompted softly when Rini trailed off.  
  
"I'm glad. I don't feel like a little girl anymore. I don't know if I could go back to being one." Rini said quietly.  
  
Serena nodded to herself. She understood that feeling, remembering her own youth as Sailor Moon. She wasn't really surprised that the Silver Crystal would do such a thing. It had acted independently before and would most likely do so again.  
  
Which brought her to another part of Rini's story that puzzled her. The Silver Crystal. It shouldn't have just disappeared like that. Serena knew that there was something important that she was overlooking and yet she could quite seem to put her finger on it. Frowning, she looked off into the void surrounding them, trying to recall the recent battle.  
  
She had been losing and then something had given her extra strength. And she had used it to...  
  
Serena looked back at Rini. Was it possible?  
  
Rini looked askance at her.  
  
"I think...Let me try something." Serena said hesitantly.  
  
Closing her eyes she reached for the Silver Crystal that was still embedded in her own heart. She found its warm power easily. Using it carefully, she searched for the dark crystal that had been in Rini, and felt a pulse of recognition from the Silver Crystal in her own heart.  
  
Opening her eyes, she smiled, "Rini, the Silver Crystal didn't disappear. It went inside you."  
  
"What?" Rini asked, confused.  
  
"Look." Serena said, calling the two crystals out.  
  
Slowly the crystals emerged from their hosts, shining like twin stars. Rini gasped, reaching out towards the crystal that had come out of her but stopping herself before she touched it.  
  
"I don't know why, but the Silver Crystal went into you. You didn't make it disappear." Serena said.  
  
"But...I made the dark crystal. How could it be the Silver Crystal?" Rini asked, mystified.  
  
Serena paused a moment before answering, "I think that you did make the dark crystal, but when you let it enter your body, it also merged with the Silver Crystal which was already inside of you. There was already a tiny flaw in your dark crystal. Using this flaw, I was able to connect with you and purify your dark crystal."  
  
Rini stood speechless, staring at the twin crystals. A single tear fell down her face as she reached out to grab a hold of it.  
  
"I have to return this to my Mother." She said fiercely.  
  
Serena nodded, "Then we need to leave this place."  
  
Rini looked around, "I don't know how."  
  
"I think I do." Serena said.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Helios watched the others worriedly. They were still alive, he had checked, but none of them had moved. Below, he could see the police beginning to cautiously approach the building again. Moving quickly he moved several of the larger chunks of debris in front of the only door leading down from the roof. It wouldn't hold indefinitely but it would give him some time to decide what to do.  
  
Crossing over to where Darien lay he tried to wake him up. With a deep breath he touched the tip of his newly regrown horn to Darien's forehead. After a moment Darien groaned and opened his eyes. After a failed attempt to stand, Darien managed to prop himself up to look around as Helios continued to wake the others.  
  
Soon all were awake. Most were leaning against someone while a few, like Rei, were still determinedly trying to stand. Helios was suitably impressed when the scout managed to stand, despite as wobbly she was. Darien seemed to be recovering quickly and turned towards him, questions that Helios didn't want to answer in the man's eyes.  
  
Before those questions could be asked though, a small ball of light appeared, growing larger and larger till the others had to shield their eyes. Two figures could be vaguely seen inside. As the light faded, it left behind Sailor Moon and Rini, facing each other with hands clasped. The pair opened their eyes to smile at one another before collapsing.  
  
* * * * *  
  
It took some effort, but they managed to get off of the roof without encountering the police. They made it back to Rei's temple. There, most of them just found an unoccupied corner to collapse in once Serena and Rini had been put to bed. Neither had awakened during the trip back but Darien was pretty sure that it was just pure exhaustion. He had no idea what had happened but it appeared like everything had worked out for the best.  
  
Laying down beside Serena, he pulled her tight against his chest and buried his face into her hair, proving to himself through touch that she was really here, with him, and okay. Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep.  
  
* * * * *  
  
AN: This is out because I felt bad about the last cliffy. Hope it comes as a pleasent surprise. As always, all error in the chapter were most likely made, quite cheerfully, by me after my poor beta (love ya Mercurial!) laborously went through and fixed all the originals.  
  
Chibi J - hee hee. Yea, well, Helios has his own issues to work out.  
  
crystal_moon13 - just for you, an quick, none cliffy update. Really. I swear.  
  
Kitsune Moonstar - wouldn't want you falling into withdrawl. And I promise to work on that X-Men story. Someday. Really.  
  
OMYSTRS - well, we can't have you dying of suspence on me now, can we.  
  
roswellachick - hee hee, you had a lightbulb moment. And no bruising the author!  
  
kalinda - glad you enjoyed the descriptions! Hope this a quick enough update for you.  
  
EtrnalRhapsodi - aww. Thanks. I always worry about fight scenes. Therefore it means a lot that people liked that last chapter.  
  
missaw - the battle is over! Woo hoo! Happy dance.  
  
Karla - hee hee, sorry about the cliffy. Really.  
  
Sage: The Dark Dryad - Thanks. Glad that you are enjoying your foray back into SM fanfiction. PS: Awsome name.  
  
BenRG - Glad to see that my attempt to keep this like the anime is working. Truthfully, I kept picturing all those SM final battles as I wrote this.  
  
Usako4life - yea, sorry about not getting back to your e-mail. Life was wicked crazy and I kept putting it off. Trust me, you were in good company. My mother finally just called me rather than trust me to respond to e-mail.  
  
Mercurial1 - Promise, I will work on the X-Men story. You aren't getting rid of me that easily. *wink* 


	39. A Cautious Peace

The next day was a tense one in the little temple. Too many people with too much unsaid among them were forced to share one tiny area. Serena and Rini remained asleep, dead to the world, and no one was willing to try and wake them. Darien and Helios sat in silent vigil over their respective princesses. Pluto had disappeared without saying anything to anyone after the battle. Some, like Ami and Zoicite, escaped outside to wait and talk in hushed whispers. Rei had locked herself in her meditation room and had not said a word to anyone. Jadeite was another who took himself outside, sitting on the front step, contemplating the rising sun. After taking stock of the temple's food supplies, Lita and Nephrite took a walk to the store to buy food for whenever people wanted to eat and Mina tagged along to make sure they got the right junk food, leaving Malachite pacing the floor, frowning at his own thoughts. Luna and Artemis sat on the roof of the temple, watching over their charges.  
  
Rini woke before Serena. Darien watched her as she rose, helped to her feet by Helios. Cautiously, the pair moved into a far corner. They knew better than to leave Darien's sight.  
  
"Are you alright?" Helios whispered as he supported Rini's slight weight. She seemed smaller this morning than her remembered her ever being. It was like her spirit, which even under the influence of the Wiseman's coercions, had given her such presence had been severely crushed and he was worried that it might even have been broken.  
  
"Tired. Just tired." Rini replied softly, looking down at the well worn wooden floor of the temple.  
  
After several moments of silence, Rini sighed, "We have to fix things."  
  
"I don't know how much we can do here." Helios admitted, glancing around with a sad expression on his face.  
  
"Not here. But back home. They need us there." Rini said.  
  
"There is an entire war going on that the Queen and her entire Court are barely able to keep at a stalemate."  
  
A small smile crossed Rini's face, a hint of her old smirk, "Then both sides will be too busy to stop us."  
  
Helios looked at her, horrified for a second by the odds. In the future they would be completely on their own against the armies of the Dark Moon with no one to help them. They were already being hunted, fugitives. If they returned to the future, they would be in constant danger.  
  
"Just us?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Saving the entire Kingdom?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"With impossible odds?"  
  
"Yep." Rini smirked at him.  
  
"Oh good. I was worried you wanted to do something stupid." Helios sighed, trying to fight the answering grin.  
  
"Who? Me? I never do anything stupid." Rini said, lifting her nose in distain of such a thought.  
  
"What about that time with the Ambassador from...?" Helios began innocently.  
  
"That, my friend, was not stupid. It was brilliant. And you promised never to mention it again." Rini interrupted.  
  
Helios sobered slightly, "Are you sure you want to do this? With me? I mean, we...well we kind of...while under the spell and I don't want you to think..."  
  
Rini looked over at him, "Helios, I...I didn't love you because of some stupid spell. I loved you in spite of it."  
  
Helios swallowed, stunned, "Oh. Um. Good. I mean, me too. I love you too."  
  
Rini smiled softly at him, "Good."

* * *

Ami looked at the trees blowing softly in the wind and sighed. Beside her, Zoicite walked lost in his own thoughts. At the edge on the koi pond the pair stopped.  
  
"Do you think she'll be alright?" Ami asked, leaning against Zoicite.  
  
"She has to be. There's a whole future she still has to live for." Zoicite answered, wrapping an arm around Ami's shoulders.  
  
"I wonder if that future will happen, if what we've done has changed things." Ami said, watching the brightly colored fish.  
  
"Nothing is set in stone. Our future is still in the works." Zoicite said.  
  
With a deep breath he pulled away from Ami and took her by the shoulders, turning her to face him.  
  
"Zoi?" She asked, see the fear in his eyes.  
  
"I wanted to do this a long time ago, but then...well, things came up and I found out I wasn't who I thought I was and I needed to prove to myself that I still had a chance with you. I don't quite understand Ami why you put up with me but I'm not going to question it because if I've learned one thing after all this, it's that having you in my life is a necessity like air to breathe."  
  
As he knelt down on one knee in front of her Ami gasped in shock, on hand flying to her mouth, "I want a chance to make a future with you. As long as you are with me, I know the future can't be all bad."  
  
From his pocket he pulled out the ring, offering it to her, "Ami, will you marry me?"

* * *

Rei tried to focus but she could feel his presence right out side, sitting on the steps. Infuriating man! He managed to irritate her even when he wasn't in the room.  
  
Frowning, she tried to quiet her thoughts once again. Retreating into her mind she began to feel her body relax as she walked old, familiar paths inside her mind. And then, there it was. That pressure just on the edge of her consciousness, drawing her attention to it like north drew the compass needle.  
  
With a growl, Rei opened her eyes and stood up. With her temper boiling up inside of her she crossed the room and slammed open the door. She couldn't concentrate on her meditations, no matter how hard she tried. And she had been trying all morning! Years of training and focus so easily destroyed by one moron sitting quietly on her doorstep.  
  
As she stormed onto the front step, Jadeite scrambled quickly to his feet and bowed formally, "Priestess."  
  
Rei snarled at him, "Do you still know Kendo?"  
  
"Yes, Priestess." Jadeite said carefully.  
  
"Good. Grab some gear and join me in the practice ring." Rei ordered, heading towards the training area without looking to see if he was following.  
  
"Yes, Prie..."  
  
"And don't call me 'Priestess'!"

* * *

Mina hung back, watching Malachite and Lita walking through the store, discussing what to get. She knew better than to make herself a third wheel like this but she had to get out of the temple, give herself some time to figure out what to do about Malachite. She really wished that she could talk to someone. No, that wasn't true. She really wished she could talk to Serena. But Serena was still sleeping and nothing short of the destruction of the world at the hands of blue mutant frogs would convince Darien to wake her. Which Mina completely agreed with. Serena had driven herself to the very limits of her power and control. She deserved all the sleep they could give her.  
  
Finally, as they were checking out, Mina decided that there was no point in trying to figure out what to say to Malachite. No matter how carefully she practiced any conversation beforehand, that man had never followed her script.  
  
Maybe she should punch him again, she thought angrily.  
  
Then a mischievous grin spread across her face as she had an even better thought.

* * *

On the roof of the temple, Artemis nudged Luna and pointed his nose at the scene by the pond. While they were too far away to hear what was being said, there wasn't much doubt as to why Zoicite was on one knee in front of Ami. And there wasn't much doubt about Ami's answer as she launched herself into the man's arms. Zoicite lifted her into the air and twirled her around, their joyous laughter reaching the cats.  
  
Artemis smiled over at Luna, "Pay up love. I told you that boy would get around to it before this was all over."  
  
Luna just grumbled something quietly about stupid, know it all males.

* * *

Lita bumped Nephlite out of the way with her shoulder so she could check the pot he had been assigned to stir.  
  
Taking a spoon, she tasted it and glared at the man trying to look innocent, "You added garlic."  
  
"Me?" He asked, feigned indignation in his voice.  
  
"Who else? Brownies?" Lita growled.  
  
"It needed garlic." Nephlite said.  
  
"It was perfect." Lita said, folding her arms across her chest.  
  
"'There are few foods that can't be made better by adding garlic of chocolate.' " Nephlite smiled charmingly at her, his boyish expression unrepentant.  
  
Grumbling, Lita gathered all the spices that were in within reach of the pot and moved them out of Nephlite's reach before letting him stir again.

* * *

That evening Serena finally woke up. Darien helped her to her feet, standing beside her as she wobbled slightly.  
  
"Hey." She coughed, clearing her throat when her voice emerged hoarse and scratchy.  
  
"Are you okay?" Darien asked, letting her continue to lean against him.  
  
"Just sore and tired. Really. The others?" Serena looked up at him worriedly.  
  
"The Scouts are all around somewhere, along with my generals. Rei and Jadeite came in about a couple hours ago from beating on each other in the training ring." Darien answered with a small smile before he sobered up, "Rini and Helios are still here."  
  
"We need to call everyone together. Talk about what we're going to do." Serena looked around, blinking owlishly at the room.  
  
Darien pushed her lightly back down onto the bed, "In the morning. It can wait till morning."  
  
Serena yawned as she tried to fight off sleep, "But I'm hungry."  
  
Darien smiled down affectionately at her, "I'll grab you some food. I think there are leftovers from the dinner Lita made."  
  
"Mmm. Lita food." Serena said, smiling drowsily at Darien.

* * *

Mina walked out of the temple, catching Darien raiding the kitchen. Considering how much food he was pulling out of the fridge the poor guy must have been starving. There was enough there to feed a small army.  
  
Outside she looked around for her elusive prey. It was almost like he was avoiding her. Mina's smile would have done a soap opera villain proud as she carefully prowled around the building. Finally spotting a familiar head of white hair, Mina took a moment to carefully school her expression into one of grave seriousness.  
  
"We have an appointment." Mina said softly, delighting in the slight jump Malachite gave as he turned around. He was a hard man to surprise and it was gratifying to know she still had the ability.  
  
"Good evening Princess. What appointment are you referring to?" Malachite asked, turning and bowing slightly in an old courtly move.  
  
"The one where I yell at you and get to pound you into the ground." Mina replied, keeping her tone even.  
  
"Ah. Yes, that one. I assume you wish to do this now?" Malachite asked.  
  
Mina cocked her head to the side and pretended to think for a moment, "No. Just reminding you that it will be happening at some point in the future."  
  
Malachite blinked once at her, trying to grasp what she'd said, "Any specific time in the future, Princess?"  
  
"Yes." Mina replied, proud that she was able to keep her expression serious, "But I think that I shall keep that information to myself. A free excuse to yell at someone should never be wasted."  
  
Malachite stared at her in bemusement as if trying to tell if she was serious or not, "Then I shall await my lady's pleasure."  
  
"Good." Mina said gaining her a raised eyebrow, "In the meantime, you can try and lessen the eventual butt kicking by doing some butt kissing. And I have just the thing." Mina finally gave in a little and allowed a small smile to bloom on her face and felt suitably rewarded by the look of worry that appeared in Malachite's eyes. "Malachite, I've got a business proposal for you."

* * *

AN: Okay, this is a lot late. You all should be thanking Mercurial, who repeatedly poked me to make me write and post as well as taking on the task of fixing all my errors. Without her, this would have been later. I even have the next chapter 75% written and may even get it posted today. Maybe. Not actually all that likely.  
  
But, as I will be posting it soon, I am forgoing the usual responses to people till then.  
  
As always, all errors were most likely cheerfully put in by me after my poor beta laboriously went through and removed them. 


	40. Reclaiming Lives

Looking around at the faces surrounding her, Serena was flooded by memories. Each face in this tiny temple held for her several lifetimes worth of joy and pain, love and loss. Their lives were intertwined so much with hers that it was hard to separate them. Even when the scouts fought their Generals all of their lives were woven together in such a rich tapestry that it was overwhelming to think about. That they had once again found themselves together again was a miracle, one she planned on thanking every power in the universe for.  
  
And the two newest faces to her court were just another layer of depth to this group. Her daughter and Helios were standing off to the side, slightly apart from the rest but Serena knew that given time all things could be forgiven. Life was too short, too filled with sorrow and pain to inflict more on oneself by denying forgiveness and love. After all, that was how one fought the true evils of the world, with love and hope and forgiveness. She knew that it sounded naive to say things like that but she had never regretted living her life like that. And it had brought her here, reconciled with the past and reunited with friends that were like a second family to her.  
  
She had just finished telling her part of the battle. Rini and Helios were now telling their side of the story. Serena felt like a heavy weight was descending on her shoulders as she learned more about the war in the future and how her child had become hunted by her enemies. It looked like a peaceful future would be a long way in the future.  
  
She listened as Rini and Helios announced their plan to return to the future. Serena knew what they were risking but she felt proud of the pair. They knew that things were going to be hard but she had fought the pair and knew that they could take care of themselves. But that didn't stop the pang of fear for them that went through her heart. If she could, she would have taken this fight onto her own shoulders and saved these children the burden of it but she couldn't do that any more than Rini could go back to being the little girl she had been before this all started.  
  
As Serena looked around at the others she saw sympathy and respect from the Scouts and Generals. They knew too much about the pain of betrayals and war to blame a mere child for falling into a trap set that they had all fallen into as well. Forgiveness would not come easily or immediately, for there were too many wounds that were still too fresh but it would come eventually and Rini and Helios deserved a second chance.  
  
As the pair's story concluded there was a moment of silence while everyone tried to absorb everything they had heard and begin to consider the implications of it all. Serena stood and walked over, hugging first Rini and then Helios.  
  
"You must take care of each other when you go back." Serena said, stepping back with tears in her eyes, "I am proud of you both."  
  
"Thank you...Mother." Rini said hesitantly, fighting back her own tears.  
  
Rini and Helios left that evening as the sun began to set in the sky, painting it in glorious shades of red and purple. Pluto appeared, summoned by Serena, and personally escorted the pair through the gate to their time and to the ongoing war there.  
  
Little was said. There was little to say. The future parents faced their daughter, a woman they had been fighting for so long and yet barely knew. Rini saw the younger version of parents she had loved all her life and found them to be complete strangers. Helios bowed to a man who would someday be his King and remembered an argument he had with this man on top of a building that he never would have dared have with his King. The rest of the Scouts and Generals and two small cats looked on, witnesses to the family caught outside of their proper time. But there were the beginnings of genuine love and respect there between these four and hopefully, sometime in the future, these four would meet again in their proper time and be able to know each other.  
  
After the gate closed Serena turned to those standing around her, "We have one last thing to do."  
  
Luna and Artemis accepted ten multicolored pens from Serena. Luna took those that belonged to the Scouts and Serena while Artemis took the newly created pens for the Generals and Darien. Each pen held their knowledge of the events that would take place in the future.  
  
The memories had been carefully separated and blocked by Serena and Darien from their courts. Luna and Artemis were the only ones allowed to remember, trusted to hold these memories safe till the time in the future when Rini began her journey. Only the memories of the events in the future had been blocked off and the entire court knew that these memories were now missing. But they had agreed to it knowing that the future could not be changed without risking making things worse than they were now.  
  
But it had been hard to do. An extremely delicate process that had taken days for Serena and Darien to complete. In many ways it would have been easier for them to remove all of the memories of the Scouts rather than little bits and pieces but Serena had been determined to remove as little as was necessary. Another thing she had insisted on was that everyone had to agree to having their memories removed. None had objected.  
  
Now, only knowing that there was something that they had voluntarily forgotten for the time being, the group began to go back to the lives they had left behind. Each had their own set of plans to take care of.  
  
Mina and Malachite were apparently going to be signing several contracts with one another soon. It turned out that Malachite was actually head of the most powerful advertising company in Russia. Mina had recognized the name as they ran through the headquarters and had decided to use her new inside contact to score her own modeling company an exclusive contract with the Russian company.  
  
Of course, the "negotiations" at times to be more part shouting matches and part cautious flirting than anything business related. Mina's partner, Alex, back in London had been stunned by the news of the deal.  
  
"And here I thought you were spending all this vacation time of yours laying on a beach some where. You better be careful, my girl, or people might think that you a responsible businesswoman." Alex had teased her when she called to tell him the news.  
  
Lita and Nephrite returned to Ireland, both worried over their prolonged absences. But Lita's staff had managed to deal without her, fixing the damages from the fight in time to open the bar when she returned and Nephrite's professors were more than willing to give him extra time since he had been called away in an emergency. It turned out that the fight in the college had actually caused quite a few such emergencies so no one was suspicious.  
  
And Lass was overjoyed to have her Mistress home again. Healing wonderfully from her wounds, Lass was even strong enough to chase two cats up a tree when Serena came to check on her. While Lita and Serena were overjoyed by the dog's recovery, Luna and Artemis had other things to say.  
  
Ami and Zoicite also returned to school. Although there were some frantic late night study sessions, they managed to finish the semester with grades intact. But before they had left, the pair had announced their engagement. Darien still claimed that the high pitched squeal of glee Serena had emitted upon hearing the news had actually been worse than Mina's.  
  
Jadeite had been at a little bit of a loss, not having a life to return to like the rest. Speaking to Darien privately he had admitted to being more than a bit worried. He had no home, no money and no place in this world. The solution came from Rei, who simply informed Jadeite that she had a new batch of Kendo classes starting soon and she wanted him to teach the younger children, since she had no time for it. The job came with Chad's old living quarters in the temple.  
  
Though the pair were still awkward around each other, Rei tending to impatient and snappish while Jadeite all too often was quiet and overly polite, Serena had no doubt that they would work something out.  
  
As for Serena, she settled down to look for a new job. Her old one had apparently disliked her recent and frequent absences without warning. But it was hard to get too worked up about it. It was something she had gotten used to as Sailor Moon. Super heroes and steady jobs just did not fit well with one another. But she had enough in her savings to last her for awhile.  
  
And that is where Darien found her, stretched out on her couch a week later, a red pen in her hand as she frowned down at the want ads in the paper, looking for something promising.  
  
"Hey." Darien said, flopping down beside her.  
  
Serena nodded at him, her eyes still glued to the paper till a rumble in her stomach that her new favorite person in the whole world had brought her food. Inhaling the delicious odors coming from the bag in Darien's hand, Serena looked up and smiled.  
  
"Is that for me?" She asked.  
  
"For us. I would like some too." Darien teased, leaning over and kissing her.  
  
"Oh, all right. But only because I love you." Serena retorted, setting the paper off to the side as Darien unloaded takeout boxes onto her coffee table.  
  
As they began to eat, Darien glanced over and asked casually, "Have you talked to your family recently?"  
  
"What?" Serena asked, looking up in surprise.  
  
Setting down his own food for a moment, Darien looked at her, "I think you should."  
  
"But..." Serena looked at him, slightly panicky as she tried to respond.  
  
"They know the truth now. You need to give them a second chance." Darien said, overriding any objections she might have some up with.  
  
"They don't want me." Serena whispered so quietly that if Darien hadn't been listening carefully he would have missed it.  
  
"Give them another chance. It's not easy to be the parents of a mythical super heroine." Darien answered, "And your brother deserves to know his sister, don't you think?"  
  
Serena looked at his miserably, "Will you come with me?"  
  
Darien gathered the slight blonde into his arms, holding her, "Always."  
  
AN:Will wonders never cease. I actually got this out. I was originally going to add some more to it but on my wonderful beta's suggestion I'm just going to post it and write another chapter. So, it's a little shorter than normal but I think you'll forgive me. Right? Right? Quick note. It is not the end till I put "The End" at the bottom. Promise. But it is close. Only a few more chapters before this monster is finished. In the meantime, happy 4th of July to all the United States people out there!  
  
Joou Himeko Dah Thanks! Glad to know you are enjoying this!  
  
angeleyezgurl121 Updating...yea. Working on that sooner rather than latter thing. Really.  
  
SailorRaven1619 Yea, I'm slow. I know. Thanks for the review though. Its nice to know people are reading! ebacusta Hee hee. Hurrying, I swear.  
  
Priestess of Anime Darkness Aw! Not the puppy dog eyes!  
  
Venus Smurf OMG! Your alive! And here I thought your brothers had finally caused you to go insane. Just kidding. Seriously though, you are awesome. I checked my reviews and just had a praise overload. Warm fuzzies all around. It really made my day. I just can't believe how great you are. ::hugs::  
  
bunny angel Yea, I originally wanted to stick the outers in here but that would have made this monster of a story completely uncontrollable. Pluto was lucky she got in as much as she did. Still, I would like to do something with them eventually. We'll see what happens.  
  
Angeleyezgurl121 Nope, not Indian or Paki. And my beta is on ff.net as Mercurial1. Not my daughter but the person who goes through and reads this to check for errors. She's a truly awesome person.  
  
king koopa - Thanks. I will try and get over to read your stories sometime. I'm just horribly slow at things like that. But I look foreward to it!  
  
happygolucky111 - I always like your reviews. Short and to the point. Hee hee. Thanks.  
  
Destiny and Fate 4ever - Yea, well, the spore can't really die. But hopefully she isn't the annoying cottoncandy-for0brains that she is in the real Sailor Moon.  
  
missaw - Yea! Happy dance! Anyways, as a requester of the fluffy and sweet romances let me know if you like or not!  
  
Kimmy Well, thank you. Wow. Love those compliments. Of course, when you find some of the other authors out there like SailorPerfect and Venus Smurf you take back that comment about me being the best but for right now I'll bask in the praise.  
  
Dark Hamadryad - No complaints about shortness this time please. Not with two new chapters put up in one day.  
  
Jabba1 - Have you ever noticed the kitties always tend to disappear during the final battles. They just aren't combatants so they're stuck with the horrid job of waiting and wondering at home.  
  
Moonie - Hee hee. Yea, everyone loves the fluff and stuff. X5-452Star I wanna vacation too! Please? This working 7 days a week thing is just plain silly. Now if only I wasn't poor I could afford to quit. ::sigh::  
  
kalinda - Sorry, not exactly a quick update but I did bring you two chapter. Does that make up for it?  
  
cosmoscat - Thanks! Hope you haven't given up on me.  
  
Lil-PrincessK - Lol. Short and sweet reviews. Gotta love 'em. Faraday Lol! I waste time writing this stuff instead of studying so we're all even.  
  
DarkSov - Cliché? It's Sailor Moon. I just thank my lucky stars everyday that the story isn't !#! pink.  
  
crystalmoon13 - All these previous thanks for a quick update are just making me feel bad about my lateness.  
  
Adyen - Wiseman died early on. You might have missed his death. It was really quick and waaaaay back in the beginning of the story which you probably read months ago so don't feel bad about forgetting about it.  
  
EtrnalRhapsodi - Usually I try and resist the evil urges to leave cliff hangers. Seems cruel. But sometime the dark side wins and I have to write one. Moon's Rose Thanks. Hope all your exams went well!  
  
BenRG - I am always amazed at how well people understand what my story is trying to convey. Thank you. Especially for the comment about liking Rini as a teenager rather than a little girl. I think she has just been through too much to ever be a little girl again but she is not yet an adult, and so her body reflects her mentality.  
  
Kaji1 - Wow. Thanks. Especially for the realism comment. Sailor Moon is defiantly fantasy at its most sugar high but it is nice to know that you liked the everyday details that make the character more believable.  
  
Ocianne - Kunzite take everything calmly, that what makes him so great with Mina. She's needs someone to balance out her slight hyperactiveness. hotohori's empress Not the end, not yet at least.  
  
QueenofMercury - Well, resolutions made and just a few loose ends to tie up before this is all over. Woot!  
  
roswellachick - Hey cool, I'm glad that someone caught the distinctinons between the phrases Rini and Serena used when talking. Sometimes I worry that things that are in my head aren't made clear on paper (or the computer screen)  
  
lazzykane - Not the end, but close. Just a few loose ends to tie up and all should be good.  
  
Kitsune Moonstar - Quick updates...right, I can do those...occasionally.  
  
Mercurial1- I hope I got those sappy love scenes in. At least a few to make you go 'Awww'. I don't know if I told you this before but I loved your idea about Helios and Rini dealing with things. Unfortunatly, that's almost a whole new story. ...I'll think about it. 


	41. Peace

Serena stood in the midst of a pile of clothes, frantically pulling on a sweater with a pair of black pants hanging unbuttoned around her waist as she wailed.  
  
"Nothing looks right!" Serena cried, looking in a full-length mirror at her reflection.  
  
A small pile of recently tossed shirts shifted on the floor to reveal an exasperated black cat.  
  
"What was wrong with that last outfit?" Luna asked as she tried to get rid of the static electricity that had built up in her fur from wiggling out of the clothes pile that Serena had thrown on her.  
  
"It was horrible! Way too casual." Serena snapped in irritation.  
  
"And what about the black skirt?" Luna asked, wincing as crackling static caused her fur to stand on end.  
  
"Too business-y." Serena replied, returning to her search for the perfect outfit, ignoring the growing ball of static that used to be her cat.  
  
"Serena." Luna began, trying to inject a note of calm rationality into Serena's bubble of chaotic insanity, "They are your parents. They won't care what you are wearing. They just want to see you."  
  
"Ha!" Serena scoffed, "I need an outfit that says I'm successful and independent while still casual enough to say that I am relaxed in their presence. It has to look good but still look like it was something I decided on without too much thought."  
  
Luna stared at the insane blonde, contemplating those words. Not much thought?!? She'd been at this for two hours already! They were way past the thoughtful length for getting dressed and well into the obsessive-compulsive end of the spectrum.  
  
And to make things even worse, just that moment a second whirlwind of blonde chaos stormed the apartment.  
  
"Serena! The Goddess of Love and Fashion is here to save the day." Mina loudly proclaimed, throwing open the door to the apartment with a flourish.  
  
"Help me!" Serena cried pitifully in reply as she slumped to her knees in the midst of her clothes.  
  
"Don't worry love, I brought reinforcements!" Mina chirped cheerfully, leaning down to give Serena a supportive hug, "Malachite! This way. Follow the sound of my voice!"  
  
As Mina yelled over her shoulder a walking pile of luggage slowly made its way into the apartment. Upon reaching the couch, everything was dropped to reveal a white hair, disgusted looking man who was trying to glare at both the offending pile he had just been carrying and the small blonde that had convinced him to carry it.  
  
"Mina…" Malachite began to speak when Mina interrupted him with a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Thank you, Malachite." Mina said sweetly before starting to dig through the bags.  
  
Emerging seconds later with all sorts of clothing dangling from her hand she turned to Serena, "I just knew you would be having problems finding the perfect outfit. So I'm letting you raid my closet. I figured it was easier to just bring it her to you."  
  
From where he stood on the other side of the room, Malachite sputtered, "You had me carry you entire closet?"  
  
"Oh no. Just the clothes Serena here might want." Mina said dismissively. "Oh, and of course all the little extras like jewelry and makeup."  
  
Serena had snatched the offered clothing and locked herself back in her room. Mina followed with an enormous case of jewelry, leaving man and cat, standing with matching expressions of befuzzlement, in the living room.  
  
A half hour later and many mysterious sounds and loud exclamation passed. During that time, Malachite had mysteriously produced paperwork from somewhere and starting working. That left Luna with the only option of curling up in a nicely placed patch of sunlight and taking a nap. It was this relatively peaceful scene that Darien arrived. Raising an eyebrow in surprise at Malachite's presence as he let himself in, Malachite's only response was a nod at the small mountain of now empty luggage. Darien gave a half smile, petted Luna and then went to the kitchen for a bottle of water. The water was his, supplied by him. Serena rarely bought anything that did not contain some for of sugar or artificial coloring. Water was entirely too bland so in defense, Darien had started stocking her fridge with a few things like water for when he needed some bland in his life. Or at least his diet.  
  
Serena and Mina emerged not long after this, both looking supremely satisfied with themselves. Serena wore a long jean skirt that reached her ankles and a plain white quarter length sleeve shirt with a pair of tall black boots. A gold choker and several thin gold bangles were the only jewelry that she wore. Luna had to admit that it was casual but still flattering to the girl. Her make-up was subtle and very natural and her hair had been tossed up into a single long tail that hung down her back. All in all, it was a classy but simple look.  
  
Behind Serena, a supremely smug Mina was standing, giving the room her signature V for victory. Apparent the Goddess of Love and Fashion was taking all the credit for finding the perfect outfit.  
  
Darien smiled and walked over to Serena, giving her a small kiss, "Are you ready?"  
  
"No." Serena replied shakily.  
  
She had been the one to call her parents after they had talked. Her mother had been the one to answer the phone. Darien had stood there, through the entire conversation, holding her, propping her up both physically and emotionally. It had been a rather short call. After several awkward pauses, Serena's mother had invited her over for dinner the following night. Serena had immediately asked if she could bring Darien and the time had been set.  
  
Darien knew that between Serena's brother and himself, the three of them outnumbered Serena's parents, which should help if everything went badly but he doubted it would. He could still remember the look on Serena's father's face when he had appeared at the fight. While he couldn't remember much about the actual fight, he had made sure to keep that memory when the others were taken so that he could help Serena and her family finally bridge the gulf that had grown between them. He knew what it was like to not have a family, to miss your parents. But at least he had the belief that his parents had abandoned him because death gave them no choice and that they had loved him. It was hollow comfort many days but it had been more than Serena had had. She had believed that she had lost her parent's love. That she was a complete failure as a daughter and that was why her parents had turned away from her.  
  
Tonight would hopefully start the healing on those old wounds. He knew better than to expect everything to be fixed right away, but he was fairly confident that it would happen if given time.

* * *

Mina and Malachite said good-bye to the couple. They were off to look for a more Oriental style for their first joint fashion/advertising project. Serena got into Darien's car, working at not thinking about the upcoming dinner. She knew that there was nothing she could do right now and worrying would only make things worse but that didn't necessarily mean that her brain would listen to her and stop coming up with worst case scenarios. Though that wasn't a real surprise. Her brain rarely did what she asked.  
  
The drive went quickly as she struggled to not think. Before she realized it she was back in front of the house she had grown up in.  
  
Darien turned off the engine and turned to look at her. She knew she was probably hyperventilating but all she could hear was her brain screaming at her that this was a mistake, that her parents had made it very clear that they didn't want her here and that she was going to regret this. And she was starting to believe her brain.  
  
"Breathe." Darien whispered, taking her hand, "You are not alone. You can do this."  
  
"I…I don't know what to do. Or what to say. How do I act? Do I look alright? Maybe I should have worn something else." Serena said, nervously brushing at imaginary wrinkles in her skirt.  
  
"Shh. You are going to be fine." Darien said soothingly.  
  
"Promise?" Serena asked quietly, turning to look at Darien with troubled blue eyes.  
  
"Promise." Darien said, leaning in to kiss her lightly.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Serena gathered all her courage and opened her car door. She could do this. Darien would be there the entire time. He would make sure she was all right. She could do this. Really.  
  
Together they walked up the stairs to porch and rang the bell.  
  
A sound like an avalanche came thundering from the other side of the door before it was thrown open and Sam stood there.  
  
"Serena!" He exclaimed happily, grabbing he into a huge hug that probably should have been too much for his teenage dignity.  
  
The rush of joy and acceptance coming from her brother was more than she had ever expected and Serena felt tears pricking in her eyes as she laughed. Her brother made her feel short as she disappeared into his embrace but she wouldn't have changed it for anything.  
  
Blinking rapidly, Serena fought back the tears before they could spill over and pulled back slightly to get a better look at her brother.  
  
"How's Lita and Lass and Nephrite?" Sam asked excitedly.  
  
"They are great. All back in Ireland and Lass is recovering. Apparently she is being spoiled by the local bar-goers as a hero." Serena replied.  
  
Sam laughed and finally noticed Darien standing there on the front step, "Hey Darien."  
  
"Hey Sam." Darien replied, smiling at brother and sister.  
  
A slight cough caused the trio to turn to where Serena's mother stood with an odd look on her face and said graciously, "Please come in." Then, with a suffering look she turned to Sam, "And close the door before you let the cool air out."  
  
"Yes Mom." Sam answered and Darien was pretty sure that he was the only one who saw him roll his eyes as Sam closed the door.  
  
Serena stood awkwardly in the entry, looking everywhere but at her mother. Just then her father came around the corner and stopped. There was a tense silence in which Darien felt like the entire world had stopped to hold its breath while father and daughter stared at each other. It was her father that made the first move. He took a step forward and, after the slightest hesitation, hugged his daughter. Darien could see that it was a stiff and unsure gesture but it seemed to break the ice.  
  
Serena's mother came forward next and hugged her daughter, this time the act was much more easily and comfortably done.  
  
"Dinner will be ready soon. Why don't you introduce your friend here?" Her mother suggested, turning curious eyes towards Darien.

* * *

Serena looked gratefully at her Mother and then turned to Darien.  
  
"Darien, this is my mother and father. Mom, Dad, this is Darien, my…" Serena hesitated a second over what to call Darien. What exactly was he? He was her friend, like her mother had named him but he was so much more than that. Once, a lifetime or two ago they had been engaged. But that didn't necessarily mean that they still were. It seemed pushy to label him her fiancé, especially since they had never talked about marriage. So was he her boyfriend? Serena frowned at that thought. It seemed to imply something less than he was. But…they never had talked about being more. True, things had been rather crazy since she had found him again and she really didn't want to get married right now. She just felt like she needed some time to discover both who she was these days and who Darien had become while they had both been living their separate lives. Not that she didn't want to marry Darien. But what if he didn't want to marry her? What if he was feeling trapped by old memories and really wanted nothing to do with her and was only waiting until her life got more stable to tell her. That sounded like something Darien would do. He wouldn't want to hurt her or take away his support when she was most in need of it. He was considerate like that. Suddenly Serena could feel herself starting to panic. What if Darien really did want to leave her? Could she handle that? God, could she really lose him again after she had come to depend so much upon his strength beside her?  
  
Darien gave her an odd look before courteously extending his had to shake her mother and father's hand, "Mr. Tskunino. Mrs. Tusknino."  
  
Serena shook herself. God, she was messed up. She had just panicked over a line of logic, which started over something as stupid as what to introduce Darien as to her parents and ended with her spending the rest of her life pining over his memory while he lived his own life without her. Apparently, her brain, being denied the privilege of agonizing over her reunion with her parents was going to pick a new target.  
  
Her mother smiled kindly at them all before returning to the kitchen to finish dinner. Serena, her father, Darien, and Sam all went into the living room to wait.  
  
After several moments of silence, Sam decided to retreat from the room, going to help his mother in the kitchen. That left Serena and her father trying to pretend to be comfortable in the silence of the room.  
  
Again it was Serena's father who broke the stalemate by taking a deep breath. Serena tensed, reminding Darien of a rabbit, seeing a large shadow moving and was waiting to see if it was a predator or something benign.  
  
"I…owe you an apology." Her father began cautiously. "I was wrong. You saved Sam and I accused you of being at fault. Days of worry and frustration just kind of came to a head there and I lashed out at the first target I could find."  
  
"Dad, it's okay." Serena said, looking at her father as if there was a miracle happening and if she even blinked everything would disappear.  
  
"No. It's not okay. I acted without talking to you, making assumptions that I had no right to make. I hope that you will be able to forgive me eventually." Her father looked so miserable, trying to find words that would somehow fix the damage that had had years to fester and grow between father and daughter. Years of hurt and misunderstanding stood between them, creating a seemingly impassible gulf.  
  
But the thing about impossible wishes is that there are always a few people in the world who are too stupid to realize something is impossible, too fuzzy brained to realize that the odds were horribly against them, or to even look at the odds. And these people were the ones who miraculously walked on air to get to the other side of a rift without ever realizing it was something special.  
  
At least, that was how Rei explained it.  
  
Serena stood up and dashed forward, hugging her father. She clung to him for a second, "Thank you Daddy."  
  
Her father couldn't have looked more surprised if she had hit him. Actually, Darien thought watching her father slowly return the hug, he probably was expecting something more like anger. It said a lot that her father really had not expected forgiveness, at least not without a lot of time and work.  
  
But Darien had first hand knowledge about Serena's version of love. If you worked your way into her life, be it as a friend, as family or even an enemy, she was always willing to forgive past wrongs if you asked. Even if you didn't ask sometimes, Darien thought wryly.  
  
And only Darien, knowing her as well as he did, expected what she said next.  
  
"Daddy, I'm sorry." Serena whispered.  
  
"For what?" Her father asked incredulously.  
  
"For never telling you the truth, for not being the daughter you wanted me to be." Serena said, a single tear falling down her cheek.  
  
"Honey, no. No. You are the daughter we wanted. I…Yes, your mother and I wish we had known about…you know. But, well, we understand. And maybe you were right to not tell us. I...." Her father looked a little shamed, "I can't promise that I wouldn't have done something like forbid you from going out any more. Parents do stupid things sometimes where their children are concerned."

* * *

Darien decided that since everything seemed to be going well, this was a private moment for the two and it was time for him to quietly take his leave.  
  
In the kitchen he found the other half of the family busily setting the table and finishing up dinner. Sam was trying to sneak food and him mother was playfully threatening him with a rolling pin.  
  
Rather than disturb them he continued down the hall and leaned against the banister, looking out the window at the rising moon. He hadn't expected this trip to Serena's parents to bring back so many of his old longings. He had always wished his parents were still alive but he had thought that those thoughts had lost most of their sting. After all, he had friends, his own place, a destiny and Serena at his side though everything. How could parents he barely even remembered still haunt him this much? It seemed silly to be jealous of Serena's family, and yet, he was forced to acknowledge that was exactly what he was feeling. Jealousy of another's parent's still alive and feeling a little forgotten in the glow of this family reunion.  
  
Which was stupid. Serena deserved this more than anyone else he could think of. She needed her family to be a part of her life again. They weren't going to replace him. But…  
  
He was feeling a little uncertain. He had caught Serena's faltering when she introduced him to her parents. And he had no idea what it meant. A voice in his head insisted that it had meant something while he was trying to argue that it didn't. But what had she been thinking just then? Had she been looking at him through the eyes of her parents and been embarrassed of him? Was that it? No. Maybe. No.  
  
No.  
  
But…  
  
Darien nearly growled in his frustration. He loved Serena, more than anything else in this world and he knew, knew damnit!, that she loved him.  
  
But then why the hesitation?  
  
"Darien?" A quiet voice called from behind him and he turned to look at the object of his obsessive, compulsive thoughts.  
  
"Hey." He said, forcing a small smile onto his face, "How are you?"  
  
"I'm…" She cocked her head to the side and seemed to think before a huge grin split across her face, "I'm great. Happy."  
  
She let out a joyous laugh that warmed him, "But why are you out here?"  
  
"I just thought that you needed a little privacy." Darien answered.  
  
Serena walked over and snuggled up against his side, her presence there doing more to fight his own doubts than all his internal arguing could.  
  
"Serena! Did you…Oh good. You did find Darien. Why are you still out here? Dinner is ready." Serena's mother chided the pair.  
  
Her mother stopped a second and studied the pair more closely, taking in their positions and her eyes seemed to light up before she turned to go back into the house. Darien felt Serena shift under his arm and he looked down into her upturned face.  
  
Just as Serena opened her mouth to speak, her stomach growled.  
  
"Exactly what I was going to say." She said with a definitive nod, "Let's go eat."

* * *

Dinner seemed to go well. The food was delicious and Darien was sure to be extra polite and courteous, offering to help with the clearing of the table and the dishes. Despite all his best efforts, Serena's father seemed to be getting progressively more and more irritated with him.  
  
After dinner was finished, Mr. Tskuino marched up to Darien, "Come son, I'd like to talk to you."  
  
Darien looked around, seeing Serena, Sam and their Mother all busy chatting had missed what was going on.  
  
Swallowing nervously, Darien followed Serena's father into his study and pushed down the panic as the door was closed behind him.  
  
"You wished to speak with me sir?" Darien asked.  
  
"Yes. It has become clear that you are more than just a friend to my daughter. And while I am sure that you are a perfectly nice young man, I want to know what your relationship is, exactly, with my daughter and your intentions in that relationship." The glare that accompanied these words was scarier than any of the monsters Darien had ever faced.  
  
Darien tried desperately to organize his thoughts, "Sir, your daughter and I have been together for … a long time and I love her. I have only the best intentions regarding her."  
  
Serena's father looked at him long and hard, looking for what Darien had no idea but was simultaneously terrified that the other man both would and would not find it.  
  
"So, Darien, what is it that you do?" Serena's father asked in a vaguely suspicious tone.  
  
What followed was one of the most grueling interviews that Darien had ever had to go through. By the time he escaped from that room, Serena's father had found out more about his childhood, his friends and family and his schooling. Through some fast thinking and even faster talking Darien managed to side step most of the super hero issues, feeling that was more of a father-daughter discussion.  
  
But in the end, it was worth it.  
  
"Well son, I think we've been in here long enough, don't you?" Serena's father said, standing up.  
  
"Yes sir." Darien said, trying to hide the relief he felt.  
  
"Call me Kenji. I have no doubt you'll be family soon enough and family shouldn't be so formal." He said, walking out the door.  
  
Darien stood stunned for a second. Family? Slowly a well of feeling bubbled up inside of him and it took him a moment to realize he was grinning like an idiot.  
  
Serena was standing right outside the door, looking anxious. When she saw him emerge she pulled him into a hug.  
  
"You okay?" She whispered.  
  
"Yea." He said, hugging her back and letting some of his sudden joy flow into that hug.  
  
"I'm sorry I didn't see you get dragged away. My father was always overprotective when it came to boyfriends. I…"  
  
"Shh." Darien cut her off, "I'm fine. I think…I think it actually went well."  
  
Serena looked at him skeptically and Darien was struck by how similar that look was to several her father, had given him during their talk.  
  
"Really," Darien said, "I'm to call him Kenji and think of myself as part of the family."  
  
"Wow." Serena said, her eyes huge as she stared up at him, "That's…just wow."  
  
Darien chuckled, "Let's go out there while I'm still in your family's good graces."

* * *

From then on the night continued. Serena and Darien spent nearly three hours telling their complete story to an enraptured family. Their earlier lives, in another time, had been difficult to talk about. For everyone. Darien could tell that Serena's parents found it hard to hear about Queen Serenity. In a weird way it was like an adoption. But unlike some adoptions where it was the child who eventually had to be told that they had other parents, in this case it was the parents that had to be told that their daughter had another set of parents.  
  
There were other things that were difficult to discuss as well. The late nights and mysterious disappearances that had happened while Serena still lived with her parents could now be explained. But that did not make things easier.  
  
But there were also things that seemed to make the story easier. All of the Scouts' identities were given and humorous stories were told about their old and new lives.  
  
Things got a little more awkward when Serena's mother asked about the last fight.  
  
Serena and Darien had looked at each other, sharing the burden of forgotten memories.  
  
"We…can't remember, Mom." Serena answered with a sigh.  
  
"What? Why not?" Her father asked, worried.  
  
"Something…We had a reason that the memories had to be erased. Well, not exactly erased but I put a block on them that Luna and Artemis will remove when the time is right for us to regain them." Serena answered, searching for an explanation to actions she no longer understood completely.  
  
"But, why would you do that?" Sam asked, "You had to struggle to get all your memories back last time. Why would you voluntarily give them up again?"  
  
"Because," Darien answered for Serena, "If we were to have those memories, they would cause harm. And we will get them back eventually. But for right now, there is a reason that it is better for us to forget. And if we all agreed to it, then it must have been a good reason."  
  
Serena smiled up at him.

* * *

When they finally left the Tskunino house, it was quite late at night. Serena was half asleep as they walked to Darien's car and leaning heavily on him.  
  
"Darien?" She muttered sleepily.  
  
"Yeah?" He asked quietly, looking down at her as she walked with her eyes half closed.  
  
"Sorry about my Dad." She yawned hugely.  
  
"Your Dad was great. A little scary, but great." Darien answered.  
  
"Yea. But I meant about the whole family thing. I just didn't want you to be... you know…forced into anything." Serena said.  
  
Darien stopped suddenly, causing the sleepy blonde to stumble a bit at the loss of his support, "What are you talking about?"  
  
Shaking her head to try and wake up a little, "Well…You and I haven't really talked about the future…and I don't want you to feel like you have to marry me or be my boyfriend or…whatever. Sorry, this isn't coming out right."  
  
"No, I think I understand." Darien said, adding calmly, "Serena, you are an idiot."  
  
Serena sputtered, pushing him with surprising strength into a bush, "What!?"  
  
Darien recovered his balance and glared at the blonde spitfire now fully awake in front of him, "You're an idiot."  
  
"And just why is that?" She demanded, placing her hands on her hips.  
  
"You honestly think that I don't want to marry you?" Darien asked.  
  
"Well how was I supposed to know? It's not like we've ever talked about it!" Serena threw back at him.  
  
"I didn't think it was something that we needed to talk about. I thought I had made things pretty clear." Darien said, throwing up his hands.  
  
"Obviously not." Serena said.  
  
"Well, it's not like you've ever said anything. I was starting to think that maybe you didn't want to be with me." Darien shot back, getting into the fight.  
  
"Not be with you? You moron. I love you. Why wouldn't I want to spend the rest of my life with you?" Serena said, stepping forward to poke a finger at Darien's chest with each word.  
  
Darien opened his mouth to answer, blinked and his entire face softened, "Serena?"  
  
"What?" Serena snapped, still angry.  
  
"What are we arguing about?" Darien asked reasonably.  
  
"We're…you…umm…that you love me and I love you?" Serena said cautiously.  
  
"Oh. Good. And here I thought it was nothing." Darien said with a small smirk.  
  
"And that you are a moron!" Serena added quickly, unwilling to lose even a stupid argument.  
  
Darien leaned down so that he was staring straight into Serena's blue eyes, "But you love me?"  
  
"Um…yes." Serena answered, captured by that unwavering gaze.  
  
"And you want to marry me?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Yes." Serena sighed.  
  
"Good," Darien said, "Then I can deal with being a moron."  
  
Darien picked her up, her feet dangling in the air, and kissed her. Serena pulled back and laughed at him, still staring into his mischievous eyes.  
  
"Love you." Darien whispered, resting his forehead against hers.  
  
"I love you, too." Serena answered.  
  
In the sky a full moon shone down on the couple laughing with the joy of each other, bathing them in its light and bearing silent witness to the peace that had finally been gained by one of its children.  
  
The End

* * *

AN: Whoa! Yea, I finished it. Really quickly, yes I am considering a sequal/spin off with the Rini/Helios story. No I have no idea as to when I would write that. I do plan on working on my sadly neglected X-Men fic and maybe write a few one-shots to clear some of the plot bunnies out of here.  
  
And, with your indulgence, I'd like to do a couple quick than yous.  
  
First, to Mercural1, you were an awesome beta. You put up me and my quirks and helped make this story so much better. I can not even begin to thank you enough.  
  
To Miko666, thanks for all the information. You were like this great font of knowledge that I got to tap into occasionally.  
  
To all be readers and reviewers, I'd list you all but then this whole section would be longer than this story and I've been told I'm long winded enough. But really, with out the people who read and reviewed there was no way I'd ever have gotten to this point. I got so many ideas and inspirations for even ssome of the most casual comments that I just wanted to say thank you.  
  
Okay, the author is shutting up now. 


End file.
